PLANS to create a £5.6m attraction at a bird haven will be announced today.

The visitors centre is the latest phase in the creation of a 940-acre wildlife reserve called Saltholme, between Billingham and Seaton Carew, on Teesside.

Saltholme is the largest wetland creation project in the north of England, and more than 100,000 visitors a year are eventually expected to visit the former ICI site.

Nearly £1m has been spent transforming the once polluted area since 2002 and last year huge sections of reed turfs covering the size of 11 football pitches were laid.

This turf has encouraged birds such as kingfishers and swans to the area, and last year there were flocks of 10,000 lapwings.

In the future, it is hoped bittern and bearded tits will also visit.

Today, civic and industrial leaders from all over Teesside will meet at Belasis Hall Business Park, in Billingham, to hear about the latest plans and witness the launch of a competition for architects to design the £5.6m visitors centre.

The Wild Bird Discovery Centre will be on two storeys and built on a lakeside.

It will include hands-on attractions, community meeting rooms, a caf, shop and educational facilities.

More than £1.9m has already been raised for the centre from the land-fill tax credits scheme.

It is hoped the rest will be granted by Heritage Lottery, the European Union and the Government's SRB fund.

Kevin Bayes, project manager of the Saltholme project, said: "A lot of work has been done reclaiming contaminated land and putting habitats in place. It has been a big success.

"Now it is exciting to see this competition for the new centre launched."

The Saltholme site, being jointly run by the Teesside Environmental Trust and the RSPB, is expected to open to the public in 2007.

It is hoped that within ten years, 103,000 visitors will visit the centre, that it will bring £1.4m a year into the local economy and employ about 20 people.