Nottingham Beach will close on Saturday amid safety concerns surrounding a march planned by the English Defence League.
Nottingham City Council said it had decided to keep the attraction shut while the far-right group’s demonstration moves through the city to the Brian Clough statue.
It added the beach would only re-open once the authority and organisers were convinced there was no risk to visitors.
Although the EDL say the march, scheduled for 1.30pm, is planned as a peaceful demonstration, previous events planned by the group have led to violence and arrests.
In 2009 EDL supporters marched past Nottingham Castle and clashes broke out between some demonstrators, police, and counter-protesters opposing the EDL.
Nottingham City Council announced its decision on Thursday night, saying it understood the EDL march would head for the Brian Clough statue, alongside the beach attraction.
Councillor Dave Trimble, portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “The council has previously made clear that we don’t want the EDL demonstration to take place in Nottingham. It will inevitably cause disruption to the public, businesses and traffic and the cost of policing the demonstration will be significant.
“As well as calling for the demonstration to be banned, we’d said that if it went ahead then it should be located near the castle, as in 2009, well away from the city centre and the beach.
“We know that the police will be taking steps to ensure the march takes place peacefully in order to limit any impact on the public and businesses as much as possible. However, clearly there will always be some risk of public disorder occurring.
“Public safety has to be our top priority, particularly where children and families are concerned. Therefore, in consultation with the Mellors Group and the sponsors Deliveroo, we have decided that, as a precaution, the beach will not open as normal on Saturday and will only re-open on the day once we feel it’s safe to do so.
“Nottingham is a welcoming city where people get along. We don’t welcome groups with extreme views who seek to divide communities and who bring with them the risk of disorder when local people and visitors just want to get on with enjoying their weekend and the many great things that Nottingham has to offer.“
