Decision day is looming for huge plans to build Europe's tallest observation wheel on the Newcastle Quayside .
Council bosses have revealed that they may be just a few weeks away from making their minds up on the 460ft Whey Aye wheel proposals.
The £100m project on the site of the former Spillers Flour Mill would transform the city's skyline and be visible from as far away as Tynemouth and Penshaw Monument.
And it is now hoped that a final decision on whether it can go ahead will be made on Friday, July 26.
The development, expected to create 800 jobs, would also include a 39ft statue named 'The Geordie Giant', a food and drink complex, and other sport and leisure attractions.
The firm behind the plans, the World Wheel Company, redesigned its vision for the site last month in a bid to secure the backing of Newcastle City Council bosses, adding extra parking spaces and trees among other enhancements.
That came after the local authority raised a number of concerns over the controversial plans, which have so far attracted 125 objections.
World Wheel Company Newcastle chief executive, Phil Lynagh, said: "Over the past 18 months, we have worked closely with Newcastle City Council and listened to all feedback in order to shape the plans for our Giants on the Quayside development.
"We are totally committed to delivering jobs, continued investment and a new destination for Newcastle and look forward to the forthcoming planning committee meeting when it takes place."
Councillors are due to visit the old flour mill site, which was demolished in 2011, next Thursday to assess whether it is suitable for the development.
And Kath Lawless, the council's assistant director of planning, revealed on Friday morning that she is hoping that a decision will be taken by the authority's planning committee at its next scheduled meeting on July 26.
Coun David Cook, Newcastle's Lord Mayor and the committee's vice-chair, told councillors at a meeting this morning that it was a "very important" application.
Developers had hoped to secure planning approval for the ambitious project in March or April, but that target date was missed amid council fears over the size of the wheel, the impact on kittiwakes nesting on the Quayside, and other issues.
Newcastle International Airport had also warned that the wheel could be a "collision hazard" for helicopters and light aircraft flying around the River Tyne and that its lighting could dazzle pilots.
