SUPPORT is growing for a proposed town centre leisure complex in central Blackpool.

Members of Blackpool's 1st Alliance Group, who promote non-party local politics, have announced they are backing plans for a new snowdome and leisure park project.

The project, dubbed Xanadu, could be built on Blackpool's former Central Station site behind the SeaLife Centre.

It is understood that the £250m Xanadu idea was originally proposed by Wigan-based development company Greenbank Partners for a greenfield site between Wigan and Leigh, but the application was rejected on environmental grounds. The company then approached Blackpool Council, and the two have been in talks.

Ken Coups, chairman of Blackpool 1st Alliance, said options open to the council for the Central Station site included the Xanadu project, a casino development or a purpose-built conference centre.

"The clear favourite now with the public must surely be Xanadu -- the fantastic real snow development," he said.

Blackpool could accommodate the complex, he said, even though the original Wigan plans were for a 70-acre site. He said the project could be developed to include a purpose built conference and exhibition centre and that Blackpool Council "should go for broke on Xanadu".

Alan Cavill, head of economic development at Blackpool Borough council, agreed Xanadu was a "very exciting" idea, and confirmed the attraction's proposers had met with council chiefs.

"Any new tourist attraction would obviously help to improve visitors numbers," he said. "I think it's a very exciting project and one which we should clearly give a good airing to."

But he warned that the project, especially if it was supporting a conference centre, would probably need "a good chunk of public money".

He said: "One of the reasons for looking at resort casinos is because they are profitable. They would help to fund a conference centre."

And he said there would be "a long way to go" in developing the project as the original plans would have to be adapted to fit the size of the Central Station site, and the developers may also be looking at other sites.