Ice Skating At Marble Arch

EDM number 1827 in 2002-03, proposed by Frank Cook on 28/10/2003.

That this House notes that, in April, Westminster City Council approached the Teesside Company, Aria Ice Limited soliciting their participation in providing temporary ice skating facilities at Marble Arch throughout the winter festivities for the next five years; further notes that, whilst acting in conjunction with the Oxford Street Association and the Wilkes Group, Aria were accepted universally as the lead body for the planning, preparation and delivery of this project; further notes Aria's impressive initiative in establishing a special company, Aria (Marble Arch) Ltd, to engage formally the nominated architects for the project, in funding the professional approaches required for this flagship facility in taking the lead in arranging and conducting consultations with the 17 agencies from which essential approval had to be gained, and finally in securing acceptance of their terms and conditions of operation as evidenced in the agreed text issued by the Special Events Group of the City of Westminster in September; cannot understand therefore why, after conducting all the ground work and incurring considerable cost, the project should be withdrawn on the grounds of lack of time available, which was an assessment contested most vigorously by Aria; questions therefore whether the recent involvement of a friend of the Westminster City Planning Chair, Harvey Goldsmith, in demanding unsuccessfully a financial share in the project, has had any influence on this astonishing decision; and requests therefore that Her Majesty's Government investigate whether the procedures followed have been correct and proper and whether some corrective measures might be justified.

This motion has been signed by a total of 18 MPs.