The Government has thrown out the £250m Xanadu leisure scheme proposed for Leigh, greater Manchester.
The 157,930 sq m (1.7m sq ft) project, backed by Moorfield Estates, Wigan-based Greenbank Partnerships and Hyder subsidiary Acer Snowmec, was today rejected by DTLR Secretary Stephen Byers following a two-year public inquiry.
The centre, which had been in the pipeline since 1997, would have included four zones – a snow-zone, a rain-forest zone, a cinetropolis for filmgoers, and a space city.
The Government’s decision to reject the plans has angered local officials, who describe it as an insult to local people desperate for employment.
Byers said, in a 200-page document outlining his reasons for the rejection: “While it is accepted that the development would probably benefit the local economy, it is also agreed with the inspector that the jobs created at Xanadu could, in part, be at the expense of others lost locally.”
EGi News 22/08/01
