SnOasis News

TheHE developer behind the delayed SnOasis winter sports complex is seeking an assurance from the Government that a future operator of East Anglia’s rail network will be required to provide services to a new station. As part of local planning consent, Onslow Suffolk and its backers are committed ..More...

Groundworks on the giant SnOasis indoor snow centre at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich in Suffolk, England, which were due to finally get underway earlier this spring have been delayed while developer Onslow Suffolk Ltd awaits an official licence to relocate up to 1,000 protected newts from the site. ..More...

Despite an apparent lack of progress on the site, which has most recently been held up by the need for a newt licence, developer Godfrey Spanner says several key deals have now been signed and all the necessary funding is in place. Developer Godfrey Spanner at the SnOasis siteWhile his opponents .. More...

The SnOasis winter sports centre near Ipswich will open by the end of 2014, according to the developers. Godfrey Spanner, managing director of Onslow Suffolk, says construction of the sports complex is due to begin in September 2011. "On Christmas Eve we managed to get the legal agreements ....More...

Plans to create a multi-million pound indoor winter sports resort on the site of a former quarry at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, Suffolk, could be delayed by another two years due to a planning technicality. Developer Onslow Suffolk was finally given the green light for the new £350m SnOasis ....More...

It was never supposed to end this way. Late last Friday afternoon, the High Court appointed a liquidator to the company behind First Equity Group, an Irish investment firm that worked on projects worth more than €3 billion. More than 400 investors - mainly wealthy Irish people - had ploughed ....More...

Construction of the UK’s largest indoor snow centre, the £300m SnOasis project in Suffolk, will begin in late October with a tentative opening date of Spring 2013, Godfrey Spanner of owners Onslow Suffolk has told local media. Two potential operators - one British and one German - are reported .. More...

Negotiations over the main contract to build the £300 million SnOasis winter sports complex in Suffolk are nearing completion, it emerged today. Godfrey Spanner, of Onslow Suffolk, said work on the construction phase was expected to start towards the end of October and would last 30 months, with ..More...

The great crested newts will be getting ready to move today to a new home on a wooded 50-acre site that stretches out from the shadow of an alpine gorge, where the snow will be under a huge roof and the mountains man-made in Suffolk. The journey towards creating one of the biggest winter sports .... More...

Following long awaited government final approval the UK is to get the world’s first indoor winter sports resort. Work will now commence on the 350 acre, £350 million, privately funded development, bringing enormous economic benefits to the local area and the country as a whole. As well as housing .... More...

On November 6th the government will announce the final decision on SnOasis. For more information about the project please go to www.snoasis.co.uk.

A final decision on whether to give the go ahead to the SnOasis indoor ski centre has been set back once again, this time to November 7th. The remaining arguments against the development, which the UK government has said already it is “minded to accept” following a lengthy public enquiry, relate ..More...

The final go-ahead, or not, for the SnOasis indoor snow centre in Suffolk is expected to be delivered by Hazel Blears, the British government minister for communities and local government on September 17th. Ms Blears has already said she was minded to approve SnOasis, following a lengthy and ....More...

Working and fighting in 40° heat is no-one’s idea of fun, but as we all know our troops in Afghanistan do it day in, day out with little time for relaxation. But added to that, when you are a keen snowboarder, it’s even less fun as snowboards don’t go very well on sand and rocks or for that .... More...

SnOasis in a nutshell: Europe's largest indoor ski slope, 415m long, 70m wide, with a 100m vertical drop to international standard. Capacity for 2,400 skiers per hour Nursery slope 100m long by 30m wide with 6-degree pitch External ice rink 60m by 30m with 1,500 spectator seats 400m ....More...

Go ahead for UK’s longest indoor snow slope... nearly. The SnOasis indoor snow centre planned for Great Blakenham in Suffolk has almost got the final go ahead after a long battle with local residents culminating with a lengthy public enquiry. The government has given the go-ahead subject to ....More...

A decision on whether to give the go ahead for the UK’s largest indoor slope, at Great Blakenham near Ipswich, has been put back by the UK government. A public enquiry on SnOasis last Spring had been thought likely to deliver a verdict on the plans by the end of last year but now the UK ....More...

We received this email from Richard Berry at winter-sports.co.uk and for those of you interested in directly supporting the SnOasis project, we thought you might be interested.Most of those involved in the competitive skiing arena will have been watching the progress of the SnOasis project. The ....More...

SnOasis, the £350 million project to create the world’s first winter sports resort, in Suffolk, has reached an important stage in its journey to reality. While the local authority has given full approval for the plans submitted by the developer, Onslow Suffolk, the application was ‘called in’ by ....More...

Opponents to SnOasis argue it will offer nothing new with increasing competition from The SnowDome Group. The enquiry is now in its seventh week. EADT reports:THE SnOasis winter sports ski slope would offer nothing new and would have to survive in an increasingly competitive environment, a leading ....More...

EADT reports that:THE SnOasis ski dome would be one of England's tallest structures, close to the height of the London Eye, and would create a major blot on the landscape, a public inquiry has been told.Lord Blakenham, who farms land in the area of the proposed site of the winter sports complex and ..More...

A long awaited public inquiry into the £350m SnOasis winter sports centre proposed for Eastern England resort has begun. SnOasis is likely to be one of the world’s ten largest indoor snow centres if it opens as planned with a 475m slope and an unusually big 100m vertical drop.Barristers acting for ..More...

The public inquiry into the proposed SnOasis indoor snow centre development in Suffolk started last week.The Government ordered the public inquiry after Mid Suffolk District Council gave the leisure complex, the nearby housing development and the railway station the green light, despite numerous ....More...

Opposition mounts to plan for £350m ski dome housing 14 winter sports.It has been called Center Parcs on Ice; the 21st century solution to winter sports in the era of global warming amid dire predictions that climate change will spell doom for many traditional ski resorts. But a giant indoor .... More...

Residents against the construction of the world's biggest indoor ski slope at Great Blakenham say they are prepared to raise more than £100,000 to fund their campaign to stop it.The group leading the charge against SnOasis say the predicted bill for their legal team and experts at a public inquiry .... More...

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has today announced that she will be calling in the SnOasis planning application and that it will be subject to a Public Inquiry. The project would create a year round winter sports experience in the form of a themed activity resort for ....More...

Security is to be beefed up around a balloon protesting against the SnOasis indoor ski slope after its huge helium predecessor mysteriously escaped and floated over the North Sea. More...

On Sunday, 18th June, over 200 people attended the launch of the sNOasis Concern balloon in a field close to the site of the proposed indoor slope. The launch was extensively covered by TV and local media and according to sNOasis Concern prompted calls from concerned residents in the surrounding ....More...

Opponents of the SnOasis development in Suffolk launched a blimp on Sunday to show people the height of the planned indoor slope and its impact on the local skyline. More...

A new railway station serving the proposed SnOasis indoor ski resort at Great Blakenham in Suffolk, England would be a success, according to Britain's rail line agency, Network Rail. The planned Great Blakenham railway station would reduce rail journey times from London to the new ski resort to 70 ..More...

An article on the Evening Star 24 includes the five criteria that government representatives of the Deputy Prime Minister will be looking at to decide whether the plans need to go before a public enquiry. These are, would the development:conflict with national policies on important mattershave ....More...

At last SnOasis, the winter sports resort has received planning permission from Mid Suffolk District Council. The application was first made two years ago and has taken all of this time for agreement to be reached over the environmental impact assessment which has led to an extensive "106", which .... More...

With details of the Council vote, the next step and how a public inquiry could be disasterous for the project and their aim to be complete by the 2012 London Olympics. More...

A report on EADT24 reads: Campaigners fighting to stop SnOasis say it will be a ghastly blot on the landscape and devastate a beautiful area of rural Suffolk.Councillors were shown images of the complex jutting 73 metres high into the Suffolk skyline and were told of people's fears that the amount .... More...

Mid Suffolk District Council has today approved an application to build a £350 million winter sports leisure resort near Great Blakenham, Suffolk. The decision follows a five-year preparation period in which the developer behind the scheme, Onslow Suffolk Limited, has invested more than £12 ....More...

Suffolk Council meet today to decide whether SnOasis gets past the next planning hurdle. The Evening Star reports that local businesses overwhelmingly back the controversial development at Great Blakenham. Read more... More...

The East Anglian Daily Times are currently running a poll to see whether you think Councilers should give their backing to the project when they meet this Thursday. You could make a difference. More...

Plans for a massive £320 million indoor winter sports and holiday complex in Suffolk have been backed by planning officers. Mid Suffolk District Council published a 400-page report which concluded that the SnOasis development at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, should be granted outline planning ....More...

The Observer reports that environmentalists protest at loss of countryside.The article reads:Suffolk's low-lying landscape will become a Mecca for Britain's burgeoning army of skiers and snowboarders if plans for the world's biggest indoor winter sports centre go ahead.Developers hope to persuade ....More...

The decision on the SnOasis project in Great Blakenham is due on 20th April. You can help sway the decision if you want this massive indoor slope built. To find out how visit www.snoasis.com More...

20/21 April is the timing for the Mid Suffolk District Council's long-awaited decision on planning approval for SnOasis. A unique, £300 million winter sports leisure resort to be built near Great Blakenham, near Ipswich in Suffolk, SnOasis will include the world's largest indoor real snow ski dome ..More...

The full details of the proposed £320million SnOasis indoor winter sports centre in Suffolk has been published this month for the first time.SnOasis which includes a 500m long ski run, will be built on the former Blue Circle cement works site in Great Blakenham, near Ipswich and is expected to ....More...

Konrad Bartelski, Britain's highest achieving World Cup downhill racer, continues his support for the proposed £300m SnOasis Winter Sports Development to be built in Suffolk, by texting the campaign hotline.Bartelski now Head of in-house Production at ESPN Classic Sport and Chairman of Selectors ....More...

Here's the latest info on the massive indoor development planned for Suffolk. More...

The British Sports Minister, Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, has given his support to the SnOasis indoor snow centre in England, claiming that the winter sports leisure resort will be ‘a real asset to the country’s pool of sports and leisure facilities’. The Sports Minister joins the numerous ....More...

A text campaign aimed at gaining support for the SnOasis indoor snow centre in Suffolk, England has been launched. Supporters of the project are being asked to text the word SNOW and their name and postcode to text number 81025. The campaign is being launched with the backing of Ipswich Town .... More...

The British Sports Minister, Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, has given his support to the SnOasis indoor snow centre in England, claiming that the winter sports leisure resort will be ‘a real asset to the country’s pool of sports and leisure facilities’. The Sports Minister joins the numerous ....More...

The British Olympic Association is backing plans for a £300 million ski resort incorporating the world's highest indoor real-snow slope. The facilities would be used by athletes training for winter sports competitions as well as the public. Proposals drawn-up by developer Godfrey Spanner to build ....More...

Leisure Opportunities reports on the plans for SnOasis near Ipswich. It says:A new home for UK winter sports?Plans to create the world’s largest indoor champion ski slope and a permanent home for the UK’s winter Olympic skiing team have been delivered to local councillors in Suffolk. SnOasis, ....More...

We're now in touch with the SnOasis developers at Onslow Suffolk Ltd.They say they're appreciative of the coverage and support TheBoarder has given SnOasis over the years, but they could do with your help to sway the local council in their direction.They are progressing fast and meeting local ....More...

SnOasis now has its very own website. It pretty much has everything you need to know about the proposed 475m indoor slope and surrounding development.Check out www.snoasis.co.uk

A report in the East Anglian Daily Times reads,Plans for a much-anticipated £350 million winter sports resort in the heart of Suffolk go on public display today (13th July). It is hoped SnOasis, which is set to be built in an old cement works in Great Blakenham, will create up to 1,000 new jobs and ..More...

The Snoasis development at Great Blakenham, Suffolk came to our attention about two years ago.Anglia TV has reported:Plans for a major winter sports complex at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich will start to be considered by councillors today.The old Blue Circle cement works site is the proposed site ....More...

An exhibition of a proposed new £300 million "leisure and living" development between Ipswich and Cambridge in England's South Eastern county of Suffolk has gone on show in Claydon. The plans have received a "very good response" from local people as well as government officials in the region..... More...

I think we'll have to create this slope its own page soon as the plans seem to be going from strength to strength.You can read the Snoasis Marketing Analysis.There's an article from July in the Evening Star that reads:A RAPTUROUS welcome was given to the Snoasis project at an exhibition which began ..More...

The Snoasis development now has some conceptual work done. Check out the look of the 535m x 80m indoor slope. Plenty of slope designs have come as far as this, without going anywhere however. More...

East Anglian Daily Times reports:CONCRETE plans for a £300m skiing and leisure complex in Suffolk will soon take shape following the appointment of expert architects and planners.The ambitious Snoasis Project, which would be built on the site of a former quarry at Great Blakenham, would include a ....More...

Detailed plans have been published for a new snowdome planned for a former tourist quarry near the village of Great Blakenham in Suffolk, southern England.The 'Snoasis' development envisages one of the world's biggest indoor domes some 525m (1800 feet) long with a 70m (230 feet) vertical drop. The .. More...

Interesting article considering what the proposed slope in Blakenham would need to provide. Uses MK's Xscape as a comparison. More...

The Suffolk Evening Star reports on new details for a 525m slope in Suffolk.This is the first detailed plans of the new tourist resort which could put Suffolk firmly on the winter sports map - all year round!The Snoasis resort could be built in the former Blue Circle quarry at Great Blakenham and ....More...

On March 24, 2003 the Evening Star gave us some more hope that the Suffolk slope could soon be more of a plan than a pipe dream:THIS is the first detailed plans of the new tourist resort which could put Suffolk firmly on the winter sports map – all year round!The Snoasis resort could be built in ....More...

A ski resort and new rail links are at the centre of multi-million pound plans to redevelop a former cement works in Suffolk. Snoasis has put forward a planning proposal to mid-Suffolk County Council for an indoor ski complex, using ‘proper’ snow and ice using renewable energy. The Council’s ....More...

A new slope is on the cards for Great Blakenham in Suffolk. The site is currently a Blue Circle Cement works and the development has interesting parallels with the Shoreham-by-Sea proposals, also at a Blue Circle site, which were canned due to congestion concerns. An article in the Suffolk Evening ....More...