Dinosaur Isle Soft Market Testing Exercise

Following a Soft Market Testing exercises in October 2017 and Stakeholder Consultation in November 2017, and considering comments and issues raised, the Council decided in May 2018 to seek a Development Partner for the museum through a formal procurement process.

Unfortunately, this process has now ended.

As a result, we are now launching a new initiative to find a partner or consortia to assist in developing the current Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown or locating an alternative venue for the provision of an accredited geological and palaeontological museum and visitor attraction.

It is our hope to create a nationally important visitor destination further developing the existing offer as an important regional educational centre and a world-class scientific resource.

We see each element of this vision as creating several distinct possible opportunities for experienced specialist investors, developers, suppliers, and operators to work with us to providing an accredited geological and palaeontological museum and visitor attraction.

The reprovision of Dinosaur Isle is viewed as a key element of the Island wide Regeneration Strategy and critical to the rejuvenation of the Island.

We are spreading the net widely for potential partners to ensure the best potential future for the museum and the island.

To achieve this, we will be promoting this opportunity internationally to identify a partner with the track record, expertise, and vision to take forward our aspirations and fulfil the full potential of our collections and their development within a UNESCO Biosphere.

As such, we would welcome responses from public sector, private sector and voluntary sector organisations, and consortia.

We do not wish to be prescriptive about the details of how a site should be developed and managed in the future but would welcome opportunities of improving the existing site or providing a new site, as we are seeking innovative solutions.

As a first step in developing parameters around potential partnerships and selecting the most appropriate way forward we are now seeking feedback on this opportunity from informed and interested parties through this Soft Market Testing Exercise.

The council is seeking to engage the market to determine whether a future procurement exercise is viable and to identify options for the future management and operation, to include the feasibility of extending the existing facility to maximise user numbers and engagement or consideration for an alternative venue.