It was only a few weeks ago that the leader of Isle of Wight council (IWC) announced the procurement process for Dinosaur Isle was in the final stages.
Cllr Dave Stewart (Con) said this “major project” would include a huge range of facilities to attract visitors to the Island.
Spanner in the works?
However, something must have changed in the last month because at this week’s Cabinet meeting (Thursday), members will be asked to approve a review of the Invitation to Tender.
Not only that, but the outcome of the review won’t be reported back to the Cabinet after the upcoming local election in May.
One remaining bidder
In January Cllr Stewart said the IWC were “in dialogue with potential consortias” [sic], but the papers for this week’s meeting states, “by the deadline on 31st January 2020 one formal response had been received” and goes on to say, “the council has been in discussions with the remaining bidder”.
It’s during discussions with this bidder that the matter of commercial viability has emerged. The IWC papers say,
“It is felt that the requirement to take on the operation and maintenance of the existing museum building in particular may have the effect of constraining the investment opportunity.”
They add,
A change in its [the ITT] scope may be required in order to both deliver potential partner investment , whilst still meeting the original service elements set out by the council including maintaining the museum accreditation, management of the collection and the transfer of the staff.
The report
Cabinet members are being recommended to approve Option 2, which reads:
Undertake a review and assessment of the ITT to better understand the viability issues, in order to ensure the procurement process can properly consider the full range of development and investment opportunities to meet the broad objectives of the council.
Officers will report back to the Cabinet with a detailed report of their findings and recommendations at the earliest opportunity (anticipated in June 2021).
An uncertain future for many years
The future for Dinosaur Isle has been uncertain for many years.
News OnTheWight reported in October 2017 about the ‘Soft Market Test Event.
Jeremy Lockwood from the Friends of Dinosaur Isle reported at the time,
“We were strongly reassured by council officer Ashley Curzon that no plan could be accepted that did not guarantee the continued accreditation status of the museum.
“Accreditation comes from the Arts Council and as well as demanding high levels of governance, curation and education says that the museum must be run as a not for profits organisation for the benefit of the public and future generations.”
Image: © The Lost Duver Project
