Ambitious plans to transform RAF Lyneham into an eco-friendly site - complete with theme park, heritage centre and bounds of new housing - have been given a resounding thumbs-up by the local community.

Business tycoon Eddy Shah presented his vision to more than 200 residents, business people and councillors at his Wiltshire Golf Cub, in Wootton Bassett, last week. And the response was largely positive.

Mr Shah titles his idea Plan B, with returning Army troops from Germany moving into the base being the preffered option.

At Wednesday’s meeting he revealed more details of the planned transformation.

The site would include an eco-village, with 1,000 sustainable home and an energy plant, producing up to 25 megawatts of energy, enough to power Calne and Lyneham.

There would be children’s themed hotels, a state-of-the-art equestrian centre and county showground, an engineering centre of excellence, a catering college and a snow dome.

And to top it all off, a theme park, which Mr Shah said would be easy enough to build as the rides could simply be wheeled in.

He also stirred the room with mentions of celebrity names who are willing to put their names to areas of the site, including chefs Michel Roux and Heston Blumenthal, entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck and Olympic eventer Andrew Hoy.

Mr Shah also said using what is already there is important and highlighted the use of local suppliers.

He said: “We are not going to be digging up anything, we will be using what is there. We want to show people you can use it with just a little bit of imagination.

“As a country we have forgotten to use what we have. Just ripping thing down and putting things up – only bankers benefit from that.

“And in Wiltshire and all around the area we have stuff that we could buy instead of importing from abroad.

“Let’s get people thinking in terms of what we can supply rather than what we can buy. Most of the idea can be funded by industry and I think the site can become a UK benchmark. We can show the Government what Big Society really means.”

He also said a new access road from the M4 could be created to ease the inevitable traffic increase, in a move which would see junction 16a of the M4 created. He highlighted the talks to re-open Wootton Bassett rail station.

He added that the park would create 3,000 new jobs on site, as well as another 7,000 through tenders for local suppliers.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray, who was at the meeting, said his preffered option is still the Army filling the base, but supported the ‘Plan B’ idea.

He said: “If anyone can make this happen it is a man like Eddy Shah. The vision there is absolutely brilliant.

“There is no guarantee the Army will come to Lyneham but the decision is being taken as we speak and it will be made before the summer recess. That is why I strongly recommend what Eddy has done. It is very important to have something to fall back on and I think this is the fall-back position.”

Mr Gray said he would not let Lyneham go down the same route as Corsham, where the Royal Arthur naval base was closed in 1993. The derelict base has become a wasteland, covered in graffiti and severely vandalised.

“We cannot allow what happened to the Corsham facility to happen here, with the place just going into decline,” he said.

Mr Shah said after the meeting: “Only four people in the room were against the plans. That is more than pretty positive. I thought it was a very strong response.

“We are now looking for people to campaign with us for a quick decision by Government. I have no problem with the Army coming in and hope they do to a certain extent.

“But if not, we need this plan B we can go to. It is for the community and driven by the community and all the money will be raised locally.”