£55m eco-dome proposal unveiled

The eco dome will be built on a 27 acre site in Norfolk

A scheme to build a £55m eco-dome with an ice skating ring, a 10,000-seat roller skating rink and concert venue and fishing pools, has been unveiled.

The project for a 27-acre site at Gorleston, Norfolk, which could rival the Eden Project in Cornwall, is seeking National Lottery funding.

Architect of the plans, Vic Johnson said the development would be powered by solar energy and a wind turbine.

The plans grew out of schemes developed by community groups in Gorleston.

Mr Johnson, of Johnson Design Architects, told the BBC the lottery was likely to make a decision on funding over the next few weeks.

The Olympic-sized ice rink could be used by ice hockey

"It will put Gorleston on the map. It could rival the Eden Project," said Mr Johnson.

The building on brown field land features two domes, one for the ice rink and the other for the roller skating/concert venue.

Michael Stamford, a director of Norwich-based Mellinsus, the lead consultants on the project, said if all goes to plan the eco dome scheme could open early in 2009.

The complex will also include a biogas-digester plant to help turn waste into fertiliser and, with the use of pools of algae, provide fresh water for the four vast fishing pools for anglers.

He said the ice rink would be Olympic-sized, ready for the 2012 London Olympics, and would also be used for ice hockey.

"The scheme will provide a great resource for people in Norfolk," said Mr Stamford.