Development plan on the cards for Exploris

Development plan on the cards for Exploris

THE private company which will take over Portaferry’s Exploris aquarium is planning a major redevelopment.

Livingstone Leisure Limited were the successful bidders to take over control of the local attraction from Ards Borough Council.

However, the council will continue to have a financial stake in the aquarium over the next two years and share in a percentage of future profits.

Earlier this month Ards Council agreed to lease the centre to the private sector at a meeting held behind closed doors, while protesters, including members of staff, gathered outside.

Work has now begun to finalise the 25 year lease of the facility and surrounding parkland to Livingstone, a company specialising in operating visitor attractions.

The firm plans to enhance the visitor experience at Exploris and increase visitor numbers by undertaking an immediate programme of significant redevelopment work, improving the existing exhibits and introducing new displays.

The aquarium’s employees will transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings legislation (TUPE), which means they move under their existing terms and conditions of employment.

Ards Council has stated that the financial burden on ratepayers, running at around £550,000 annually, will be substantially reduced and then eliminated altogether, and that they will be entitled to share in a percentage of profits achieved.

Alderman Robert Gibson, Chairman of the Council’s Development Committee, said the private sector investment would secure the long-term future of the aquarium and ensure that the presence of a substantial visitor attraction continues to be an economic anchor for the town of Portaferry and the wider Ards Peninsula.

“The council’s existing level of expenditure at Exploris is simply not sustainable, but we recognise equally that the aquarium has a vital role to play in our area’s tourism industry,” he said.

“Our staff are protected at the point of transfer and this private sector investment will refresh the aquarium and boost its appeal, while the leasing arrangement protects the facility and the surrounding land.”

Ian Cunningham, Chief Executive of Livingstone Leisure, said: “We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with Ards Borough Council to expedite a much needed transformation of Exploris.

“We are committed to eliminating the council’s ongoing financial burden, investing significantly in enhancing the quality of the offering, and following performance improvement in the future, returning a significant share of profitability back to the Council under the proposed terms of the lease”.

The transfer to Livingstone Leisure is expected to take place in early 2013 while Exploris remains open for business as usual.