East Midlands Development Agency (emda) Chairman Dr Bryan Jackson was invited to top out 'Himalaya' at Twycross Zoo to mark a significant milestone in the construction of its new multi-million pound eco-friendly visitor welcome centre, being built by Kier Marriott.

A major regional tourist attraction situated at the gateway to the National Forest, Twycross Zoo's new visitor centre is due for completion in spring 2010.

Kier Marriott Director Peter Hawes welcomed guests to the topping out ceremony and said: "We are delighted to have reached this important point of this significant construction project. We now look forward to reaching a successful conclusion of the project by continuing to work together and produce a truly magnificent building and maintain Twycross Zoo's position as the best tourist

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attraction in the Midlands."

Himalaya will be a world-class building of great interest both locally and nationally and it will have a positive impact on the local economy by generating new employment opportunities. The project has been designed to be an attractive central feature within the zoo. It will be a single-storey grass roofed building and sympathetically blend in with the natural local surroundings. A new entrance will speed up access to the zoo for visitors as well as hosting a tourist information centre to highlight all the attractions within Leicestershire and the surrounding counties.

The new centre will be open to the general public, as well as visitors of the zoo, and has been designed to be environmentally green and sustainable. The project team is working towards achieving a BREEAM rating of Excellent.

(CD/GK)