New York State has said a potential US$250m (€187m, £150m) Legoland theme park would provide “an unprecedented boost to regional tourism” if plans go ahead.

New York State has announced a proposed multi-million dollar grant to help along the potential development, proposed for Letchworth Village in Haverstraw, north of New York City.

The town has said the project is currently in the exploratory stages and nothing is set in stone, though Merlin confirmed to AM2 that the company had “taken the opportunity to apply for state incentives to realise a project should a suitable location be found,” but also confirmed “no plans are at that stage for Legoland in the US.”

Despite uncertainty around the project, the state has found the project valuable enough to encourage its development, promising a grant from the Regional Economic Development Council should plans move beyond a formulaic stage.

The state confirmed that should plans move forward, the Legoland NY park would be a full scale theme park, waterpark and hotel aimed at children aged 12 and under. It is predicted that such an attraction would see a boost to regional tourism of around two million visitors annually.