The Dome is to be used as a venue for concerts, weddings, parties and raves in an attempt to claw back some of its escalating costs.
The first event to be held in the 45,000 capacity venue, since its closure on December 31, 2000, will be a rave on New Year's Eve this year.
The Ministry of Sound, who last year held a rave in the buildings outside the Dome, will be setting up four dance arenas inside the 320 metre-wide site.
Officials at the Dome believe similar money-raising schemes will follow offsetting costs which look set to hit 795m by the end of the year.
Eight teams of contractors are finishing flattening the floor so it can be used as a venue following the removal of the "zones". The work will be finished in early December.
English Partnerships, the regeneration agency responsible for the Dome, has already received interest from a number of parties for one-off events.
The current cost to the taxpayer of keeping the Dome closed is 420,000 a month.
October 23, 2001 11:30
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