Fears for Exploris

Fears for Exploris

18 September 2013

THE future of Northern Ireland’s only aquarium in Portaferry is back in the melting pot.

A private company which was due to take control of the Ards Council-owned Exploris facility has pulled out of a 25-year lease which would have seen a major revamp and investment in the aquarium which attracts around 90,000 visitors a year.

The decision by Livingstone Leisure to withdraw its offer after failing to reach agreement on pension arrangements for the aquarium’s existing staff will be debated at a meeting tonight in Newtownards.

Councillors are due to discuss what the future holds for Exploris during the behind-closed-doors meeting, with a number concerned at the aquarium’s £550,000 yearly running costs, arguing this is a major drain on local authority resources.

However, there are others who support the facility — which employs 18 permanent staff — and want it retained to allow Portaferry’s flagship tourist attraction to continue making a major contribution to the village economy.

It’s understood a number of options will be discussed at tonight’s meeting, including seeking a new partner in the private sector to take over the aquarium, continuing to finance it with ratepayers’ money or potentially closing the doors.

Since its opening in 1987, Ards Council has invested around £9m at the aquarium creating an attraction which has consistently remained in Northern Ireland’s top 10 visitor attractions.

The chairman of Portaferry Regeneration Ltd, Doug Edmondson, has described Exploris as a first class facility with an international reputation, and as such is a “national asset.”

He said the aquarium is vital to the economy of Portaferry, warning any permanent closure of Exploris would be a devastating blow to that economy and the regeneration of the area.

“On its reported figures, Exploris has in the past brought over 100,000 visitors into the area annually from across Northern Ireland. Such a loss of footfall must impact adversely on the ferry itself, Portaferry, Strangford and the wider local economy,” said Mr. Edmondson.

He added: “Since at least two Stormont ministers have recently visited Exploris and publicly recognised its significance as a ‘national asset,’ surely the better solution is for the responsibility to be moved from Ards Council’s budget to the appropriate ministry within the Stormont budget.”

An Ards Council spokeswoman confirmed that Livingstone Leisure Ltd. has now withdrawn its offer.

She said the private firm was unable to put in place what she described as a “broadly comparable pension scheme” required for existing staff and that as a result, Exploris will not transfer to the private sector.

“Ards Council and Livingstone Leisure had begun the process of ‘due diligence’ in November 2012 to agree a 25-year lease of the aquarium and surrounding parkland, with a view to securing investment for the future development of Exploris and reducing the current costs to the ratepayer of running the facility,” the spokeswoman confirmed.

She added: “The Council will now be considering the way forward and Exploris is open for business as usual.”