Traders are claiming sales have fallen drastically due to the loss of parking space caused by the development.
Brixton Market businesses may face a struggle to survive following the opening of Brixton Ice Arena.
Traders are claiming sales have fallen by up to 70 per cent due to the loss of parking space caused by the development.
Stall and shopkeepers say customers face the unenviable choice of leaving their vehicles on yellow lines or parking further away from the market, following the council’s decision to build the ice rink on the site of the old Pope’s Road car park.
Home n Fashion owner Sunil Chandalia argued that small businesses were already feeling the pinch of the recession and may only have a few months to save themselves.
“The ice rink will kill the market. It is absolutely horrendous and finishing small businesses,” he said.
“Why would someone buy a rug for £10 if they are going to be fined £50 when they get back to their car?”
The ice rink was built to provide Streatham’s ice skaters and ice hockey players with a temporary home whilst the Streatham Ice Arena is redeveloped, as part of the Streatham Hub project.
However, former British Junior Ice Dance Champion James Phillipson, who coached pupils at the Streatham site, believes the Brixton arena has tough boots to fill.
“Streatham was like home to us. It had character,” he said.
“This (Brixton Ice Arena) is a bit like a shed with an ice rink in it.”
Christmas competition from outdoor ice skating has dampened initial interest in the Brixton site, but Mr Phillipson hoped that the change of location would encourage more people to take to the ice.
One happy customer was Jason Snowdon, an entrepreneur from Clapham Common, who visited the venue with his four-year-old daughter Alexandra.
He said: “Alexandra was the first person on the ice when it opened and loves the brightness and freshness of the place.
“Streatham was the second oldest rink in the country, but it was a bit of dive.”
Brixton Ice Arena is open throughout the week and tickets cost between £7 and £9. For further details please visit www.brixtonicerink.co.uk or call Brixton Ice Arena on 0845 177 1707.
