D-Day for Exploris

D-Day for Exploris

25 September 2013

ELEVENTH hour appeals have been made to Ards Council not to close the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry.

Politicians meet tonight in Newtownards to discuss closing the doors of Northern Ireland’s only aquarium amid increasing local authority concern about its annual running costs.

A private company was due to take control of the Ards Council-owned aquarium — which employs 18 people— but pulled out of a 25-year lease which would have seen a major revamp and investment in the facility.

The company’s failure to reach agreement on pension arrangements for the aquarium’s existing staff led to a council committee last week recommending that Exploris should close and its prime site sold.

With the recommendation due to be discussed tonight, Ards Council has been asked to defer making any decision on the future of the aquarium to allow all possible avenues to be explored in a bid to keep it open.

The appeal comes in the wake of a major community backlash against the closure recommendation, with people in Portaferry warning that closing Exploris will be a major blow to the village.

Residents are also furious the proposal was made without public consultation and around 100 of them gathered at the aquarium yesterday morning to pledge their support for the facility.

In addition, almost 3,000 people have signed an online petition in protest at the proposed closure and a new group has been set up to look at ways Exploris can remain open.

Friends of Exploris, which is hoping to secure a meeting with Ards Council to discuss the aquarium’s future, wants the closure recommendation deferred to allow it time to discuss a number of options, including attracting central government investment to run the aquarium.

There is widespread belief in Portaferry that the aquarium, which has over the years attracted 100,000 annual visitors, generating around £3m for the local economy, is a viable business proposition.

Friends of Exploris says people are “shocked and bewildered” at the aquarium’s proposed closure and are fearful about the long and short term consequences of such a decision.

The group’s spokesman, Mr. Doug Edmondson, said an Ards Council commissioned report in 2011/12 which confirmed Exploris contributed £3m annually to the local economy “represented a five-fold return on the local authority’s investment.”

He said there is a need for breathing space to allow the future of the aquarium to be discussed in more detail and for all possible avenues to be explored.

Mr. Edmondson added: “The aquarium is a national asset. The closure recommendation, if approved, will remove at a stroke one of the major attractions which brings people to this part of the peninsula.

“Friends of Exploris is looking at formulating various proposals and wants to sit down with Ards Council to look at securing outside help from government. Ards Council must defer debate on the recommendation to close Exploris to provide breathing space for all concerned.”

• Two buses have been laid on to transport residents to Newtownards for tonight’s council meeting to allow them make their views known to politicians on the proposed closure. The buses are due to leave Portaferry square at 6.30pm.