Plans for a new Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham are set to be approved when councillors meet next week.

The Birmingham Mailrevealed last year that Legoland owner Merlin was looking to bring its toy brick-themed attraction to the city and now council officers have given it the thumbs up in a report ahead of next Thursday's planning committee meeting.

The indoor version of Legoland is to be based in the Barclaycard Arena and will be a major new leisure attraction for the city centre.

It will be over three floors to the south side of the landmark arena across the canal from Brindleyplace and contain a mix of indoor rides, interactive Lego-themed attractions and games, a 4D cinema, a café and a shop.

Fancy a career change? Search for jobs here

The planning report states it will be a two-hour attraction open from 10am to 6pm daily and is expected to receive up to 2,560 visitors on its busiest days.

Some 40-50 staff will be employed – about a quarter part-time – as well as some extra staff at peak times of the year such as school holidays.

We're testing a new site: This content is coming soon

About 140 basement level parking spaces will also be removed to accommodate the centre. It will be similar to the Legoland Discovery Centre in Greater Manchester.

The only objection to the plan came from the management company responsible for the Symphony Court apartment block opposite which has concerns about noise nuisance from large numbers of joyous and happy children.

According to the report, this complaint can be dismissed as the arena already attracts large crowds of people late into the evening.

The report by planning officer Victoria Chadaway said: "This proposal would reinforce and promote Birmingham's role as a centre for tourism, culture and events.

"It would support the city's existing tourist facilities by providing a new family-focused attraction which would contribute to the city's continued success as a destination for visitors."

She added that it complied with council planning policies and should be approved.