PLANS to build a major science centre near Swindon can only be good news for the area.

The people behind the scheme liken it in scale and concept to the successful Eden Project in Cornwall, and it should prove to be one of the country's top tourist attractions.

It is an extremely ambitious plan, but then the site at Wroughton airfield, owned by London's Science Museum, is big enough to accommodate a project of this size.

The question is, is the cash available? No figure has been quoted yet we must be talking tens of millions of pounds but the National Museums Of Science and Industry and the Government are clearly serious about the project as they have invested £250,000 in feasibility studies.

While attracting visitors from around the country, the site should also complement the Steam railway museum in the centre of Swindon. This too celebrates scientific achievement, albeit from a bygone age, and efforts should be made to involve Steam in the Wroughton project.

Visitor numbers to Steam have been disappointing since it opened nearly three years ago and a poor marketing strategy has been blamed.

Here is an opportunity to make amends.