A VISITOR attraction designed to look like a southern Iraqi marshland village is set to be built by the side of the M6.

The plans, which resemble the traditional homelands of the Marsh Arabs of Iraq, will be constructed at the Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve, Samlesbury.

With buildings rising 40ft into the air, the structures will rest on a floating pontoon that will rest on the edge of wetland.

The striking design has been given the go-ahead after Lanc-ashire Wildlife Trust secured £8million of Northwest Region-al Development Agency (NWDA) funding for the project.

And project leaders believe it will be an iconic addition to the area’s landscape.

Ian Selby, Brockholes project manager, said: “We are absol-utely delighted that the NWDA has recognised the importance of this project for the people and wildlife of Lancashire and beyond.

“This iconic development will demonstrate that wildlife can co-exist with people inside such a visitor attraction.

“We are creating jobs and adding to the appeal of the area for visitors. The centre will eventually be self-funding and will guarantee the future of the reserve for future generations.”

The Floating World design was drawn up by architect Adam Khan and will be made out of wood and thatch. By drawing on the thatched homes seen in Iraq and Far East, planners believe the visitor attraction will be sustainable and carbon neutral.

Mr Khan has travelled the world seeing how communities have adapted to life on the marshes and has drawn his inspiration from these exper-iences. With wooden frames supporting the structures, they will rise high above the land and allows tourists to walk among them on pathways.

It is also hoped that the tightly-packed nature of the building will attract urban visitors who, planners believe, could have been put off by an isolated structure.

The investment has been made under Newlands, a NWDA and Forestry Comm-ission programme that is regenerating brownfield land across the North West into economically viable comm-unity woodland.

Launched in 2003, Newlands is investing a total of £59million in the region. Construction will start later in 2009 and the reserve is scheduled to open to the public in 2011.

The wetlands are home to wildlife such as the Lapwing, Sand Martin, and Kingfisher, as well as more vulnerable species such as Whimbrel, Skylark, and Reed Bunting. There are also newts, bats, dragonflies, damsel-flies and otters.