An ice rink that was refused planning permission in Strawberry Hill has won its appeal and been given the go-ahead by the Planning Inspectorate.

Twickenham Alive’s ice rink first arrived in the borough in 2014, but was refused planning permission by councillors, although planning officers recommended the application for approval, in December 2016.

It was refused on the grounds that it did not have “any satisfactory parking provision” and that it would “adversely impact” the green, open space.

All that remains to be done is to get a licence approved by the council to set up in Radnor Gardens.

However, the process usually takes 26 weeks to get through and there also needs to be a public consultation.

Berkley Driscoll, co-founder of Twickenham Alive, said the appeal decision was “very good”.

He said: “The trouble is it’s taken a long time and we’re almost at the end of the year.

“We don’t want to miss the end of term and the lead up to Christmas when it’s the most fun to skate.

“We have to put in an application with the council and they said they will be as accommodating as possible.

“If we don’t get the go ahead before mid-December we’ll wait until next year.

“We don’t want to rush it- we want to do it properly.”

Councillor Pamela Fleming, cabinet member for environment, business and community, said she believes it is “very unlikely” that the application would be approved in time for this year’s festive season.

She said: “There are a lot of safety issues involved and you don’t want to cut corners.

“They would literally have to get their skates on and put forward all the necessary information to have any chance.”

There were mixed views on the refused planning application from residents.

Objections, of which there were 49, were mainly concerned with the potential damage to the grass in the park, possible flooding and the lack of parking on offer.

Residents also worried about the “removal of green space” in the area for three months of the year.

However, there were 127 comments of support.

One resident, mirroring many of the comments, said: “The rink run by these organisers in previous years has been a great success.

“It has been extremely well managed and has provided a wonderful opportunity for the community to exercise, have fun, celebrate Christmas, and really enjoy Twickenham.”

What’s your view? Contact: grainne.cuffe@london.newsquest.co.uk