Artist’s view of how ‘Skate West End Hanover Square’ could look

• MIKE Dunn’s letter (Skating on thin ice? October 27) raises important legal issues regarding Westminster City Council permitting Hanover Square Garden to be used for the construction of an ice rink.

Why is it that newly enhanced areas of public space / public realm are rented out or cluttered with “so-called” public art?

With the arrival of the Elizabeth line, the whole of Hanover Square was given a makeover and the garden square tastefully redesigned and replanted. A small haven for office workers and visitors but now a construction site restricting both access and quiet contemplation.

The “get-in-get-out” period is when construction and deconstruction takes place for several weeks either side of the actual “pay-to-play” period. This is when the square and surrounding area becomes a construction site, further prolonging public access and enjoyment.

I had written in October about the harsh environment that is the Marble Arch roundabout, home to professional beggars, litter, and pigeons, suggesting that is a wasted space.

It would have been an ideal tie-in to have an ice rink on the approach to Winter Wonderland but no doubt it will remain a windswept wasteland while the council offers our handsome squares to the highest bidder.

JIM HILL
St Georges Fields, W2