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LEGACY plans for an £8m Magna Carta visitors' centre have risen phoenix-like from the ashes after the county council agreed a £5m cash injection.

The news will be a great relief for Runnymede Borough Council and the Magna Carta Trust, who championed the project to create a permanent way of marking the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the charter, which comes around in 2015.

In July, the centre looked a dead duck after a grant for just under £4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund was turned down, leaving the bodies unsure how to source the money.

But when Surrey County Council's cabinet met at County Hall on Tuesday afternoon (October 22), members voted unanimously to support the scheme, agreeing a £5m contribution on the proviso that £3m funding be raised externally.

Opponents ready to fight plans

Visitor centre 'could be shelved'

Views sought on proposed centre

Councillor Helyn Clack, while admitting to having not yet seen plans for the building, urged support saying it would allow people worldwide "to find out about the geographical birthplace of democracy".

Council leader David Hodges, who said he was also yet to view the plans, claimed the centre would bring great business benefits, including increased tourism, especially from the United States where the American Bar Association - which funded the original Magna Carta memorial - has been an avid supporter.

Speaking of the outcome, Derek Cotty from the Magna Carta 800th Committee said: "It means the project schedule is on track and doesn't diminish our efforts, and we can go ahead with the timescale we need.

"If all goes well, the Queen will open the centre on June 15, 2015. I am very pleased."

For more on this story, see this week's Egham & Staines News, out on Thursday, October 25.