XANA-do or Xana-don't that's the agonising question still waiting to be answered.

Four years after the £210 million Xanadu snow dome leisure complex proposals for Leigh were revealed, Secretary of State John Prescott is still undecided whether or not to give the go-ahead.

Yesterday was the D-Day date for a decision from Mr Prescott but one still has not been made.

A Government spokesmansaid: "This was a very complicated inquiry with a lot of legal argument.

"It is still being looked at by the Secretary of State and important issues are still under consideration."

Amazing plans for Pennington were originally billed as the largest water, snow and ice sports complex in the western world.

Launch plans highlighted a 377 feet high dome -later reduced in height by half - multi screen cinema, nightclub and restaurant.

Its promoters said it would cost £200 million create 6,000 jobs and put Leigh on the tourist map in a tie-up with Leeds-Liverpool canal corridor plans and Wigan Pier.

Wigan Council has supported the proposals from the outset, believing it would provide a much needed boost for the local economy which has suffered dearly from industrial decline.

Sited alongside the Atherleigh Way by-pass it would occupy the Wigan and Leigh College campus and playing fields giving the town brand new higher education facilities near the Parsonage Retail Park.

But the Xanadu proposals have met with crictism from locals, who feel it would blight the Pennington area, and from conservationists who fear its disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.

In an effort to appease critics, amended proposals targeted transport and reducing environmental impact.