Bournemouth Borough Council has confirmed that its multi-million pound plans to develop a new leisure attraction at the Dorset town's King's Park Ice Stadium are "well on track".

The local authority said it was in the process of inviting potential operators to come forward with proposals for the site and dismissed claims that the scheme was in 'meltdown'. A council spokesperson said: "The leisure development market is currently severely depressed across the UK and there has been much commentary about ice rinks being unattractive as viable leisure attractions.

"It is absolutely essential that we approach the market at the right time to gain the best chance of attracting a developer with the right credentials to deliver the facility we all want to see." Plans for the new King's Park facility - including a permanent competition-standard ice rink - were given the green light by planning officials in October 2010.