VISIONS of all-year-round skiing in Great Blakenham are being weighed up to ensure the area benefits from the potentially "massive spin-offs".A number of key aspects of the scheme - exclusively revealed in The Evening Star last month - are being scrutinised to ensure that any planning proposal for the site fits in with the redevelopment of the area as a whole.

VISIONS of all-year-round skiing in Great Blakenham are being weighed up to ensure the area benefits from the potentially "massive spin-offs".

A number of key aspects of the scheme - exclusively revealed in The Evening Star last month - are being scrutinised to ensure that any planning proposal for the site fits in with the redevelopment of the area as a whole.

Mid Suffolk District Council is formulating a list of requirements they would like to see materialise in the area before any planning application is submitted. These will be discussed at a meeting of the council on November 25.

Stephen Andrews, local plan manager for Mid Suffolk, said: "We could just rub our hands and think of the hundreds of jobs that could be created but we need a balanced approach to the redevelopment in that area.

"We have got an excellent opportunity to look at a whole range of new sites. This would be a site of national importance."

Although the council is excited about the prospect of attracting new businesses into the area, it is keen for the site to fit in with its surroundings.

The council is stressing that any development on the former Blue Circle site would have to sit beside the existing landfill site.

Mr Andrews said: "We would be genuinely excited about any proposal but it has to be set in context of Great Blakenham and its infrastructure."

Additional road routes are also being discussed as a possible solution to alleviate any traffic problems that could materialise within Great Blakenham.

Concerns have already been expressed about the impact the level crossing, between Great Blakenham and Claydon, has on traffic flow in the area.

A public consultation on the plans is due to take place early in the new year, which will be followed by an environmental impact study of the proposals.