The Isle of Wight Council’s leader has called plans for the regeneration of Dinosaur Isle a ‘Disneyland opportunity’, with the potential for a brand new theme park to open on the Isle of Wight in just 2 years’ time.
It has been revealed that the proposals for the Sandown seafront site are being scaled-up and will cost an investor ‘significantly more’ than £33million and potentially opening as soon as Spring 2023.
Speaking at Thursday night’s cabinet meeting, Councillor Dave Stewart said it was a fantastic opportunity for the Island, which he described as a ‘Disneyland opportunity for a dinosaur park’. He said:
“A lot of people have an affinity to this location … if all works well, we can see some great success in a town that needs and deserves regeneration”.
Talks have been underway between the Council and 1 bidder, who has not been named, to find someone to invest in the dinosaur museum near Yaverland. Island Echo understands this bidder to be the team behind Europe’s Dinosauria Park, which the Isle of Wight Council paid over £1,500 to recently.
However, it has been suggested the current proposals do not go far enough and that more could be done to make the attraction a success.
The plans for the site have not been made public, but Councillor Wayne Whittle, cabinet member for regeneration and business development, said they would put the attraction on a ‘different level’ in terms of national and international significance and would ‘go way beyond’ what the Isle of Wight Council initially asked for. He said the local authority is trying to achieve the best possible outcomes for an exciting and significant investment, while maintaining Dinosaur Isle’s collection of dinosaur finds.
It was agreed by the cabinet to review the current tender proposals and see what more could be done.
Council officers will report back to leading cabinet members as early as June.
I hope that whatever happens, it isn’t a project that will be started and not finished.
If the NIMBY crowed have their way it’ll be stopped and never finished. Can’t have anyone creating jobs on the island.
So long as they keep Browns and public funds aren’t being used, OK.
You probably have no hope about Browns… it’s going you bet your house on it!
I hope it doesn’t turn into another white (Wight) elephant like the skating rink and so many other things this council spends our money on
Yet more secrecy.
How will anyone get to spend £33M by spring 2023 in Sandown?
The core Dinosaur Isle facility was grant-funded and a condition is that it remain a not-for profit. Wonder whether anyone’s mentioned that to the bidder?
On the plus side, this will hopefully be outside Dodgy Dave and “engineer” Ward’s control.
It would be easy to spend 33 million in Sandown and not a single penny on dinosaur island….. The council’s been sleeping so long they think there dreams are a reality…… lets hope we are all proved wrong and it’s not just a dream……
Are they being offered this on a one year lease the same as that offered for the Brown’s site!!!
Well the grand site and boating lake, zoo, may all become available for the big bucksor mabe a big hotel on the grand site to accommodate all the patrons for the theme park.or just one big housing estate.
Isle of wight Disney land, should be funny
I would love to list possible names for this theme park, like Pie in the Sky, but won’t/
Can’t wait to finally find out who, what and how much it will cost US in the end.
They had better get the Grand Hotel which is not so grand sorted out. It’s a disgrace! You can’t have a £33 million theme park and a sh*t pit of derelict hotel just down the road.
At last the council have a good idea a theme park with the council leader as Micky Mouse.
I think this is a fantastic idea the Isle of Wight has to move on with the times I own a guesthouse And the problem is people coming over get bored because nothing ever changes I also think they should cater for children from 12 to 16 Because there really is nothing for that age group on the island we could also do with a shopping mall this would bring so much money onto the island
We could do with alot of better things on the Island, but hey let’s waste money on a theme park. Then charge a bloody fortune to get in, then charge again for any rides.
Potentially our masters will get millions of pounds because they will have sold artefacts which we locals own. Then the whole area is heavily developed as some kind of Jurassic Park (but without Richard Attenborough, so it will be pants probably), venture fails as ferry prices soar/surrounding area is lacking/yet another wave of pandemic. Theme park closes, investors are insured and recoup losses and whole area turned into flats as it is now a developed area. Yet another seafront stitch up. Simples!
I do hope it will not be like our other Disneyland “blackgang chine” , if this does get built it needs to be uptodate, and maintained to a high srandard. Also the cost of getting here needs looking at, as the cost of entry can be expensive.
Why no mention of large scale high density residential development which seem to feature in every other one of the council’s proposed ‘regeneration’ projects? or is that phase 2 once everything is knocked down and nothing happens on the site for a couple of years?
Isn’t it funny that the council elections are coming up. Browns golf course has such a high water table in the winter rendering the site useless for building on.
Well well. Five minutes after no-one could be found to take on the lease at Brown’s despite a petition signed by thousands, the council is selling off yet more of our property for private profit without consultation or consent. What a coincidence. I have no polite words for these crooks.
Yaaaaay dont have to go off island to take kids away now…just drive around for 4 hours b4 going in ..tell the kids we r in France… nice!! Also I could get a bita work so HURRY UP..or it going to be like the link to mainland by bridge. Hmmmm