A PUBLIC consultation will be held next week to showcase plans for a £100m historical leisure park in Bishop Auckland.

The park, which will be set in the shadow of Auckland Castle, in Bishop Auckland, hopes to attract up to 800,000 visitors a year and provide a major boost for the local economy.

Multi-millionaire City financier Jonathan Ruffer, who is behind the plan, said community volunteers will play a major role to help to get it off the ground.

The consultation meeting will be held in the Andrew Pickard Room, in the Four Clocks Centre, Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, on Thursday, November 6, between 4pm and 9pm.

The team behind the plans will be on hand to answer any question people might have.

The first phase will see a £20m not-for-profit visually stunning night show recreate about 2,000 years of NorthEast history, using a cast of 600 volunteers.

The shows, which will run for 80 minutes, will feature large-scale re-enactments, music and pyrotechnics.

A £2m investment from Jonathan Ruffer has already been secured, and the Eleven Arches Trust is looking for further funding with a view to opening the park to the public in spring 2016.