SUFFOLK'S business community has given its strongest backing yet to the SnOasis winter sports development at Great Blakenham. Representatives at a special meeting for leading groups from the county's business and tourism sectors joined the call for the £350million project to be given the go-ahead when Mid Suffolk district councillors meet next month.

SUFFOLK'S business community has given its strongest backing yet to the SnOasis winter sports development at Great Blakenham.

Representatives at a special meeting for leading groups from the county's business and tourism sectors joined the call for the £350million project to be given the go-ahead when Mid Suffolk district councillors meet next month.

In what has become the biggest single boost of support for SnOasis to date, the Suffolk branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD), Suffolk Tourism Partnership, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and the Ipswich and Suffolk Small Business Association have all publicly stated their wish for it to be approved and formed their own lobby group in a bid to make sure that happens.

Their joint group, called Suffolk for SnOasis, is aimed at swinging the balance of support in the favour of the massive leisure complex and its developers Onslow Suffolk.

Led by Clive Thomas, the chairman of the IoD Suffolk branch and managing director of Needham Market firm Anglia IT Recruitment, Suffolk for SnOasis will petition Mid Suffolk District Council's planning referral committe to vote in favour of the SnOasis complex and its associated housing development and railway station.

At a launch event for the new group last night held at St Nicholas Centre in Ipswich, Mr Thomas said: “SnOasis must be the biggest thing to this area since (BT's) Adastral Park and that was 30 years ago.

“Because the economic arguments are so strong many people in business are assuming it's a done deal and it really isn't. If we don't do anything about it, it might not happen.”

Suffolk for SnOasis will marshal support amongst the business community and urge SnOasis supporters to write to Mid Suffolk District Council with their opinions on the indoor ski complex.

Mr Thomas said: “In less than four working days we've had 340 emails from business people. Of the 340 only 16 didn't want SnOasis.”

John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “We certainly believe that Suffolk is going to be put on the map by SnOasis.”

Godfrey Spanner, managing director of Onslow Suffolk, which is promoting the SnOasis project, welcomed the creation of the Suffolk for SnOasis group.

He said: “There are so few of the people who are against it but if you believe what you hear from time to time you think the whole world is against it.”