Plans to build a £350m winter sports resort in Great Blakenham, Suffolk, have been approved by Hazel Blears, the secretary of state for communities and local government.

The 300-acre complex, to be managed and financed by developer Onslow Suffolk, will feature many firsts for the UK, including a 400m ice speed skating track, a 100m bobsleigh push start, a 1.5km cross-country skiing track and an ice museum. The development will also boast one of Europe's largest indoor ski slopes (416m long and 70m wide) with a 100m vertical drop and the capacity to be used by 2,400 skiers per hour. The facility will be complemented by a 100m long nursery slope, an outdoor ice rink and a 16m-high ice climbing wall.

The complex hosts a total of 14 winter sports as well as sailing, windsurfing and canoeing. There will also be a multi-purpose sports hall, outdoor sports pitches, a swimming pool, a health and fitness centre as well as a triathlon course and a 1.5km rollerblading track. Hospitality facilities at SnOasis include an entertainment dome, a nightclub, 17 bars and restaurants and a 10-pin bowling alley along with a 350-room, four-star hotel with a conference centre, 350 ski lodges and a 200-bed hostel.

The construction phase is expected to take 30 months and the site is expected to generate 75 per cent of its energy using low carbon and renewable technologies. CB Richard Ellis acted as planning advisors to Onslow Suffolk, in collaboration with led architects DLA Architecture. A £29m package of benefits will also be put in place locally including improvements to road intersections, a new main line railway station linking to London Liverpool Street, a 50-acre ecological mitigation area, cycle tracks, the planting of 130,000 trees, plus an array of skills and training initiatives.

Also, working in conjunction with a number of education establishments, plans are underway to develop programmes aimed at educating students at all levels in disciplines related to the project.   Godfrey Spanner, managing director of Onslow Suffolk, said: “At last we have final approval, after eight years and costs running into many millions, we can move forward. SnOasis will now become a reality bringing with it opportunities for jobs, the local and national economies, education, athletes and the winter sports industry.

“We have been working hard behind the scenes with various winter sports bodies to attract major competitions to SnOasis. We can confidently say once complete it will host an ever growing number of international events, leading to it becoming a regular venue on the world winter sports circuit. These activities will undoubtedly bring further benefits and kudos to our country.”    Details: www.snoasis.co.uk