Garden works start on 9 November, so the ice rink cannot go back on its usual Pavilion site this winter. Cabinet decides the £8m restoration on 15 October.
The Royal Pavilion Ice Rink will not be back on its usual site this winter. A council report published for Cabinet says restoration works in the Royal Pavilion Garden will run right through the winter. The works are due to start on 9 November and finish in November 2027.
The report says the project team “attempted to find a way for the ice rink to return to the Pavilion site over winter 2026/2027”. It concludes: “work will be happening on the ice rink site throughout the winter period, and it is not possible to delay the start of the project without significant cost and funding implications” (Cabinet report, paragraph 4.3).
The rink has been part of a Brighton winter since 2010. Its operator’s website still shows only last season, which ran from 25 October 2025 to 4 January 2026 (Royal Pavilion Ice Rink). The operator has said nothing about this winter, and the council report does not say whether the rink could go somewhere else.
What Cabinet is being asked to approve
Cabinet meets at Hove Town Hall on Thursday 15 October (agenda). It is asked to:
- raise the project budget by £1.6 million, to a total of £8.038 million
- let the corporate director for city operations sign the main works contract, once a further £500,000 from Historic England is approved
The preferred contractor is Blakedown Landscapes, chosen as the most economically advantageous of two tenders. After negotiation the contract sum is £5.174 million. Fourteen firms expressed an interest and four were shortlisted.
The council is not putting in any more of its own money. Its contribution stays at the £750,000 already agreed, of which £440,000 is borrowed. The rest comes from outside:
| Funder | Amount |
|---|---|
| National Lottery Heritage Fund | £5.346m |
| Other external contributions, raised by the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust | £1.110m |
| Other public sector grant, including the Historic England bid | £0.832m |
| Council borrowing | £0.440m |
| Council capital receipts | £0.310m |
About £1.05 million of that is not yet secured. If it does not arrive, the report says parts of the scheme will be cut to stay within budget rather than the council paying more.
Why it costs more than planned
The estimate has moved several times. The report blames the pandemic, planning delays, construction inflation, material prices and extra professional fees.
- August 2023: £6.264 million
- December 2025, at detailed design: £8.228 million
- February 2026, after a design review: £7.139 million
- Now, after the tender: £8.038 million
The tender came in £1.476 million above the funding in hand. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has since added £976,000, which closed most of the gap.
What the restoration will change
Historic England put the garden on its Heritage at Risk Register in 2017. Removing it from that list is the project’s main aim. Planning permission, granted in 2024, covers:
- restoring the Regency planting and protecting wildlife in the garden
- putting back the historic boundary, with railings based on the original 19th century designs
- new visitor and community facilities and better information
- repairs to the garden entrances and paths
- refurbished public toilets, including a free Changing Places toilet opened with a RADAR key
The toilets and a new concession will be leased to the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust. The council says that should cut its running costs by about £24,000 a year.
The report also admits the garden “experiences considerable levels of antisocial behaviour, particularly during the early hours of the morning”. A safety pilot is planned alongside the works, with marshals at busy times and outreach to vulnerable people. Public Health has put £50,000 into it, matched by £35,000 from other organisations in the city.
What it means for you
- If you skate every Christmas, do not plan on the Pavilion this year. We will update our Brighton ice rink page if the operator announces another site or confirms there is no season.
- If you walk through the garden, expect contractors from November. The report does not say which paths or lawns will close, or when.
- If you want a say, the Cabinet agenda has a public involvement item, where residents can put questions submitted in advance. The contract is due to be signed on 22 October if Cabinet agrees.
The works are part of a longer plan, agreed in 2014, to reunite the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Dome and Brighton Museum as one estate. Its first phase, the restoration of the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre at Brighton Dome, finished in 2023.
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