A PLAN for a potential Chester Zoo attraction has won praise from one of the most unlikely sources – US rapper Kanye West.

The billionaire music star – who recently announced his intention to run for US president – took to Twitter on Thursday to endorse the 'Heart of Africa' biodome, proposed by Chester Zoo over a decade ago.

The £70 million project, dubbed the Eden Project of the North, won initial planning approval but Government cutbacks meant the planned attraction was indefinitely postponed.

It would have seen a 112ft high biodome integrating with the habitats of the rainforest from Congo in Africa by stimulating the climate and weathering system of Congo rainforest within the biodome, covering nearly 172,000 square feet of land.

It would have housed chimpanzees, gorillas, reptiles, fish and birds.

Nevertheless, the scale and ambition of the plans evidently won the seal of approval from Kanye West, who did not acknowledge ongoing speculation about him and wife Kim Kardashian in Thursday morning's tweets.

He referenced his Yeezy clothing brand as he tweeted: "YZY team loves Proctor Matthews Architects ‘Africa Heart’ bio dome", along with a screenshot of what the biodome would have looked like.

In response, Chester Zoo tweeted the rap star: "Hey ye - Glad you love it! Thanks for highlighting our work to help save endangered species from extinction.

"Unfortunately these are old plans now, but once we’ve saved our zoo following the Coronavirus pandemic, things like this might be possible again."

Chester Zoo is currently welcoming a series of fundraisers and has had to shed dozens of jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as although it has now reopened, it is only able to do so at vastly limited capacity.

To support Chester Zoo, visit https://www.chesterzoo.org/support-us/