A FIRST round bid for funding to create a heritage centre at Colchester’s Roman Circus will be decided on in March.

Colchester Archeological Trust submitted proposals for the site to the Heritage Lottery Fund in November.

As part of the plans the group wants to have part of the Roman Circus, first discovered in 2004, on permanent display.

Heritage Lottery will consider the first round bid on March 3.

If it is successful it will then give funding for the group to create a second, more detailed bid containing plans and full costings of the project.

Only then will it decide whether to give the trust a grant of almost £1,500,000. Work will get underway on the site in 2014 if the bid is successful.