East Anglia set to be world indoor ski capital

A £350m winter sports resort is set be built in a Suffolk village as long as the developers can convince the government on a few remaining sustainability and wildlife issues.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country are expected to flock to the SnOasis resort, which looks set to be built in Great Blakenham, north of Ipswich.

The complex, which will be the largest indoor winter sports resort in the world, was yesterday given initial government backing and could bring up to £80m from tourism to our region every year.

The developers have been told by the Department of Communities and Local Government that the secretary of state is in favour of the proposals, which include a new railway station for Great Blakenham, a 421-home housing development and the SnOasis complex, as long as a few environmental hurdles can be overcome.

Although Suffolk boasts some of the country's flattest ground, the complex will feature Europe's longest indoor ski slope as well as an array of other winter sports facilities. It is being built in a former cement works, where the quarry pits will form the base of the ski runs.

Secretary of state for communities and local government Hazel Blears said in a letter to interested parties that the development would have a “very positive” impact on employment and the local economy. She also thought it would be well served by public transport and that the applicant's visitor forecasts formed a reasonable basis on which to judge the plans.

However, she did say the development “was likely to have some adverse impact on the landscape” and expressed concerns about the wider sustainability of the proposal.

The developers will now need to show that they can power the complex through renewable or low-carbon energy in order for permission to be granted by the government in September.

Godfrey Spanner, managing director of developer Onslow Suffolk which has submitted the plans for SnOasis and the railway station, said: “My nightmare is over; now my dream can begin. We have been working on this project for six years, with costs running into many millions.

Courtesy of EDP

09 May 2008