Slough's new Ice Arena has achieved industry wide acclaim this year - after being selected to feature in the highly regarded SPACES Yearbook.

The Yearbook celebrates the best of the year’s publicly funded projects.

The entry submitted by Slough Urban Renewal (SUR), the joint partnership between Slough Borough Council and Morgan Sindall Investments Limited, demonstrated how the Slough Ice Arena successfully breathed new life into the former Montem Ice Centre building. The newly refurbished arena boasts a striking curved structure, arches and floor to ceiling glass curtain wall panels creating a striking new focal point on the Bath Road (A4).

The ice arena’s refurbishment and extension works forms part of Slough Borough Council’s five year, £60 million leisure strategy. The refurbished ice arena and new extension add an extra 1,000m2 of space. The two-storey extension houses the new entrance, reception, café, gym and climbing wall with clip ‘n’ climb feature. It is all being managed by the council’s leisure provider EveryoneActive.

Andy Howell, General Manager for Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) said: “It is a fantastic achievement for the Ice Arena to have been featured in this year’s SPACES Yearbook and be recognised for the positive impact it has had on the general public. Since the arena re-opened to the public in April last year, it has been really well received.

“The arena is home to the Slough Jets Ice Hockey Team as well as multiple different clubs. It has also played host to an array of filming sessions from Dancing on Ice to the National Lottery – helping to raise the profile of the rink and the town.”

The Ice Arena opened to the public on April 28, following a multi-million pound rebuild including: a new ice rink; new fully-glazed barriers; new changing rooms and toilets; new spectator seating and lighting; new café; new climbing wall with clip ‘n’ climb feature; new gym and extensive landscaping and car parking