UK’s Biggest Indoor Snow Centre To Open By 2014 (24-Jan-11)

Plans to build the UK’s largest indoor snow centre are back on track...

Plans to build the UK’s largest indoor snow centre are back on track, with ground work due to start in the next few months, Godfrey Spanner, managing director of the company behind the SnOasis project has told the BBC.

The £350 million SnOasis project is now ten years in the making so far. Mr Spoanner says
groundwork will begin in March, in September 2011 and completion by 2014.

The SnOasis project which involves creating an indoor winter resort incorporating a 415m long indoor ski slope, ice rink, facilities for 14 winter sports, hotels, shops and accommodation on a former quarry finally got the go ahead several years ago just before the economic crash. However Mr Spanner says the subsequent delays have been down to satisfying ecological concerns centred on rare newts in the area.

"We're scheduled for the second quarter of 2014 but at this minute I'm working with the team
to see if we couldn't get the snow dome itself operating before that time," Mr Spanner told the BBC. "One of the planning conditions is that we must start the snow dome first.”