SnOasis, a £350m winter sports resort planned for Great Blakenham, Suffolk, UK has got the go-ahead from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The 300-acre development, to be managed and financed by Onslow Suffolk, will feature a ski centre with a 415m real show slope and nursery slope, complemented by a 16m-high ice climbing wall, a bobsleigh run, a 400m ice skating track and cross-country skiing facilities.
Outdoor sports facilities will cater for five-a-side football, sailing, windsurfing and canoeing while the development will also include a multi-purpose sports hall, health and fitness centre, triathlon course and a 1.5km rollerblading track.
SnOasis will also have a cinema, bowling alley and nightclub, as well as restaurants and bars. A purpose-built ski village, a 350-room, four-star hotel with a conference centre and 350 log cabins will complete the development.
“After four-years in the planning process we are delighted that this decision has been made. SnOasis is a new concept for activity holidays and may provide a model for the future of UK vacations,” said Erica Whettingsteel, head of leisure planning at CB Richard Ellis -– planning advisors to Onslow Suffolk.
SnOasis has the backing of Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council and Somersham and Nettlestead Parish Councils as well as national bodies such as the British Olympic Association, VisitBritain and Snowsport GB.
The complex will open in 2010/2011 and is expected to attract 750,000 visitors a year to the region.
