Loss of skating venue will have 'huge impact'

The owner of a unique Nottingham entertainment venue says it is "incredibly sad" it is being forced to close due to planning regulations.

Skateland rollerskating arena, in Lenton, was set up nine years ago and has hosted parties, theme nights and skating lessons.

But there was an understanding that when nearby land was developed for housing, the venue would need to be soundproofed, something Joy Cotton says is unaffordable.

After confirming the closure on social media, Ms Cotton said the public reaction "really hit home how much of a huge impact this is going to have".

Ms Cotton said she set up Skateland after her then teenage son struggled to find anywhere convenient to practice his hobby.

It has since grown into a popular venue which is partly run by volunteers.

She when they looked into the cost of soundproofing the venue it came to "hundreds of thousands" of pounds.

The business has been given a deadline of 31 July to vacate the building but clearance work means they will close on 6 July.

"It is incredibly sad," said Ms Cotton.

"We only told staff and volunteers on Monday and then we shared it on our socials to let customers know.

"The amount of people who have reached out to us is amazing.

"It has really hit home how much of a huge impact this is going to have for some people.

"It's really going to affect their well being, because this is somewhere they come together with their friends and there is nowhere else they can come and do this."

She confirmed the team would like to continue elsewhere but they need a suitable building at the right price.

"We'd love to move to another venue but that is easier said than done," she said.

"We need about 8,000 sq ft, parking and no houses nearby and those tend to get snapped up quickly.

"People have been saying 'Oh it was so cheap, you could have charged more'.

"But one of our key principles was to keep skating affordable for Nottingham.

"There are so many events or venues that people struggle to afford so we wanted to make sure this was for everybody."

Ms Cotton said the next few weeks were going to be busy with planning final events and putting items into storage.

"I'm not sure when it will hit home it's not there anymore," she said.

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