OPTIMISM is growing that a multi-million pound tourism, sporting and leisure vision based on three Northumberland opencast coal mines will become a reality.

Partners behind the ambitious Blue Sky Forest project at Widdrington are holding a key meeting this month with the aim of devising a detailed masterplan and a mechanism for delivery.

They will hold a further round of public consultations next month and have set up a joint steering group with the county council and potential developers to work on a formal application for planning permission, which could be submitted within months.

Blue Sky Forest involves transforming 2,500 acres of land at the Stobswood, Maidens Hall and Steadsburn surface mines, and creating hundreds of jobs.

The scheme, which was updated and revised in a 2009 feasibility study by consultants Wardell Armstrong, includes two golf courses – one of them international-standard – a major multi-sport academy, a hotel, spa and holiday village, outdoor adventure centres.

It also includes a dry ski slope, a 4x4 driving experience, two lakes for watersports and recreation, equine facilities, an indoor leisure centre and the generation of renewable energy from a wind farm.

It has been developed by the local Widdrington Regeneration Partnership (WRP) working with UK Coal and renewables company Peel Energy, and the plans were displayed to local people six months ago.