Busy week for Cardiff Devils as ground on new rink is broken
The next phase of Cardiff Bay’s International Sports Village, which will be the new home of the Cardiff Devils, has been unveiled.
It is further progress for the side, based in the Welsh capital, who announced a number of sponsorship tie-ups and the recent signing of Canadian goaltender, Frank Doyle, for the upcoming 2013-14 EIHL season.
The International Sports Village broke ground on Wednesday, which is set to feature a 3,000 seat ice arena complete with Olympic-sized rink, together with a smaller rink to give the general public more opportunities to get involved in winter sports.
It is only one part of a £250m scheme to regenerate the area, with plans to include an indoor ski slope, 32-storey tower, shopping centre, luxury hotel and 800 new homes.
Cardiff city council leader, Heather Joyce said at the official ground-breaking ceremony: “This project will bring a great deal to the city in terms of jobs and attracting more visitors to Cardiff.
“In challenging economic times, projects like these are important to boosting the local economy and helping it to recover. As well as this, the ice arena will bring out the best in local sporting talent.
“This will go a long way to enhancing Cardiff reputation as a world-class sporting capital city.”
Chris Baybutt, MD of developer Greenbank Partnerships, the group behind the ice rink and the residential project, said: “We have spent a long time acquiring interest interests in these sites and ensuring, through close liaison with the council, that our development proposals meet the high aspirations of the city.
“Now that we have our planning permission, we are committed to delivering our vision for the area, which will project Cardiff’s reputation as a centre of sporting and cultural excellence.”
