Indoor ski slopes are popping up all over the U.K.

Two new indoor snow centre plans have been proposed for northern English towns in the past month.

Blackpool, on the Northwest coast, and Sunderland in the Northeast of the country have both announced plans to make indoor ski facilities.

Blackpool put forward the idea of an indoor snow centre several years ago at the same time as it was considering a bid for a super-casino. Plans for the facility have been announced by Greenbank Partnerships and are currently being studied by the local council. If the development moves forward the centre would be built on the site that had been earmarked for the super-casino the town unsuccessfully bid to host.

Greenbank Partnership reported that more than 3,000 jobs could be created as a result of the development, which they believe would bring about two million people annually. Local media reports claim the facility would be two-thirds the height of Blackpool’s famous tower and would include five ski slopes.

“This will put Blackpool in the big league,” council leader Peter Callow told the Blackpool Gazette. “We’re talking about something that can change the face of the resort.”

The other proposed indoor ski centre in Sunderland would be close to the Stadium of Light sports ground and would include an ice rink and other leisure facilities, specialist sports shops, bars and restaurants. The indoor ski centre is part of a wider regeneration plan for the area that includes other sports, health and leisure facilities, new offices, a hotel and housing.

“The football stadium and Sunderland Aquatic Centre already draw in hundreds of thousands of people a year to this regenerated part of the city,” Sunderland Council leader Paul Watson told local media. “A unique facility like an indoor ski slope with snow would enhance the great sporting venues already on offer, and play a huge part in boosting the city’s role as a visitor destination.”

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