Rennes: The Future of the Ice Rink is Worrying, the City Denies any Plans to Close

SLIPPERY TERRAIN: Reconverted during the summer into a roller skating rink, the Rennes ice rink is getting a lot of attention as the municipal elections approach, with some wondering about its future

With nearly 150,000 entries each year, not counting sports clubs and schools, it is one of the busiest ice rinks in France. But for three seasons, Le Blizz in Rennes has abandoned the ice for four months every summer to transform into a large roller skate track. A choice motivated by economic, but also ecological, questions. “Should you skate on the ice in 40 degrees in July? Probably not”, he explained mayor Nathalie Appéré to justify his choice.

In Rennes, the Le Blizz ice rink has been transformed into a roller skating and roller skating track every summer for three years. - C. Allain/

Approaching municipal elections, the question of the future of Blizz is still rearing its ugly head. With environmentalists on the front line, allies of the outgoing municipality, who would like to go even further in the reconversion of equipment. During the last municipal council on September 22, elected official Lucie Koch put a part back in the machine. “In a context where resources and financial resources are increasingly constrained, we must discuss the future of the Blizz, involving residents and all users in the reflection, she indicated. Environmentalists believe in the future of Blizz and urban skating, but in a more sober way. ”

A petition signed by 6,500 people

Words which did not fail to provoke a reaction from Charles Compagnon, leader of the opposition. According to him, environmentalists “simply want to stop ice sports” and permanently convert the ice rink into a simple roller skating rink. “This will not be the first time that they have imposed their choices on the mayor”, he says, recalling the episodes of the start of the Tour de France and the abandonment of the Zénith project.

“To save the ice rink and preserve ice sports in Rennes”, the almost candidate for the future municipal elections so he started a petition, posted online around ten days ago and signed by just over 6,500 people. “There were also nearly 300,000 views on social networks”, he assures, which according to him testifies to “the attachment of Rennais to their ice rink”.

“No closure plans envisaged”, according to the city

Using the city’s figures, Charles Compagnon underlines that the work undertaken for several years has already made it possible to make the equipment more economical “with a 37% reduction in energy consumption and 71% in water”. “But we have not reached the end and there are still improvements to be made”, specifies the opposition elected official, who proposes to “modernize, optimize and diversify the uses” of the Blizz “but without sacrificing ice”.

In response to this petition, the city of Rennes recalls that it renewed during this same municipal council the public service concession granted to the mixed economy company Citedia “for a period of eight years”. “There are therefore no closure projects planned for this equipment”, she insists, specifying that the equipment will operate with “skating on ice and skating on casters”. There is no doubt in any case that the subject will return to the track during the campaign.