Canada's Cirque du Soleil is planning to build an ambitious 2,000-seat theatre nd entertainment hotel in London England as part of $1 billion redevelopment project on the Thames River.

The project will be built as a refurbishing of London's historic Battersea Power Station, a massive structure with four giant smokestacks that has been abandoned for years. The main part of the power station will be covered with a glass roof and transformed into a huge theatre that will become a permanent venue for the Cirque du Soleil. The troupe will perform there 10 times a week.

The complex will also contain a ballroom, a cinema, and two hotels -- one of them conventional, the other a luxurious entertainment hotel and spa.

The redevelopment has been an on-again off-again affair for years but with local officials giving planning permission for the complex, this proposal appears to have a better chance of success.

Guy Lalibert(C), president of the Montreal-based Cirque says he is confident work will begin within six months and should be open to the public by 2004. In the interim, the Cirque has erected a giant tent near the power station where it will present Quidam, one of its touring shows, from Dec. 15 to Jan. 26.

The renowned 15-year-old acrobatic troupe operates permanent venues in Las Vegas and Orlando, as well as a number of travelling shows.