“The concept is to turn it into an eco-centre with two great glass geo-desic domes, with a riverway system and a hotel.

“It will look a similar scale to the Eden Project.

“Luckily, it has got reasonable land capacity around to expand.

“Not only does the Zoo have mass visitor appeal, but is of high academic standing as a proper zoological gardens. It has successfully plugged into animal gene pools around the world, for example Indian elephants.

“If you look at weather system predictions, we have 30 years of wet summers ahead, so these quality indoor experiences are vital.

“We need to be lobbying for public and private money for these projects.

“Chester doesn’t have a convention centre, but it will come.

“You only have to look at the performance of the racecourse complex to see how Chester could follow Harrogate’s lead in hosting conferences.

“The hotel sector is already geared to the upper end of the market, so this would fit in with such ambitions.

“Of course, we have our areas of poor employment and sink estates, but our economic diversity has kept the area in good shape.”

Banker Mike Jones was put into Chester Chamber of Commerce to get it back on track after a drift into the business wilderness.

Now it is known as West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce after Chester, Wrexham and Ellesmere Port merged together.

“Our catchment area is huge, covering West Cheshire and North Wales,” admits Mr Jones, Chamber interim chief executive officer for the last six months.

“But we feel it will be much more effective for members to work together rather than as scattered groups.”

Mr Jones was seconded to the Chamber from Bank of America’s Chester office, where he is management partner.

The Chamber’s board decided it needed a strategic review to better meet the 600 members needs. These members range from the big international banks in Chester’s finance sector to small, rural businesses.

“We needed to refocus on our core objectives, asking the basics like: why do we exist, how do we go forward and what are our obligations to members,” said Mr Jones, who is a life-long Cestrian.

“There was also a need to put in best business practices which had been missing from the Chamber’s previous activities.

“We also initiated a business plan which the next permanent chief executive will carry forward when I finish at the end of this month.”

The Chamber is based in Sealand Road, Chester, and represents 90,000 employees through its members.

“We took a step back and have taken a tough look at our business processes,” said Mr Jones. “The fundamental problem was the Chamber was trying to do too much, yet hadn’t recognised the changes there have been in business.

“So we’ve focused on bringing in things like new training programmes, new marketing products, a new credit with Bank of America with no annual fee and a Moneypenny answering service at a very competitive rate.

“We also offer help with legal and human resource matters and business start-up.”

A new website is about to be launched, a quarterly magazine and monthly bulletins have been introduced, plus networking events.

“Our other role is to lobby government and local authorities on behalf of members,” said Mr Jones.

“A vibrant Chamber is needed to help business to thrive and prosper in an area.

“There’s a lot of goodwill out there for us, but, as with most Chambers, the actual penetration of potential members is quite low.

“But we do need stability and longevity to ensure that members get good value for their money.

“Although we have a big mix of industry sectors, with a big diversity, I see this as a challenge not a difficulty.

“Without small businesses we would not have the diversity which has helped this area ride the recession. Its crucial to help those small businesses, which can grow for the future.”