A HUGE new indoor ski slope is planned for Sunderland to help establish the city as a "regional hub for sports and leisure".
Regeneration company Sunderland arc is seeking a developer to build to the real-snow ski slope on the Stadium Village site, which is already home to the Stadium of Light and the £20m Sunderland Aquatic Centre.
The multi-million pound development could also house an ice rink plus other leisure facilities, specialist sports shops, bars and restaurants.
Chairman of Sunderland arc, John Anderson, said the scheme, which would be the only one of its kind in the North East, would help to establish Sunderland as a regional hub for sports and leisure.
He said: "Stadium Village forms an important part of the city’s wider regeneration plan. It already boasts world-class sports and leisure facilities and further exciting developments such as the proposed indoor ski slope will cement Sunderland as a regional sporting destination."
The facility would be the only one of its kind between Leeds and Glasgow and is part of a comprehensive regeneration scheme for the area that includes other state-of-the-art sports, health and leisure uses, new offices, a hotel and housing.
These uses are set out in a Development Framework, prepared by Sunderland City Council and Sunderland arc, which has been out to public consultation.
More than 80% of the site needed for the snow and ice facility has already been acquired by the arc and its partners, One North East, the City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency.
Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "Sunderland is renowned for its sporting passion and the proposal for a real snow ski centre has already received overwhelming support and enthusiasm from the people that live here."