I AM totally with Cllr Whittaker and I am sure most of the locals are too, in regard to a permanent ice rink in the town.

Why do we have to follow “European procurement”?

What do they know about Bournemouth and its needs? The only people who can decide on the entertainment and facilities we and the visitors to the town require are ourselves and the councillors.

I do hope that red tape will not drag everything out and developers will lose interest and invest somewhere else.

Our tourist trade relies on “what’s on” in our town, whether it is raining or sunny.

The hotels rely on holidaymakers, as do retail trade, buses, taxis and other indirect businesses.

We have already seen many hotels closed and become flats, and many businesses fall.

Some people do not realise that the upkeep of the town cannot be sustained unless its main industry – tourism – is looked after.

The plan for King’s Park looks promising, and of course traffic/transport will have to be considered too, but I have always believed that Boscombe rail station should never have been closed – which could bring people from the outskirts of Bournemouth for this new enterprise.

Mrs S J VINCENT, Bournemouth