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Isle of Wight expects £20m investment for Dinosaur Isle redevelopment

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dinosaur isle of wight

The Isle of Wight Council reportedly expects an investment of at least £20 million for the redevelopment of Sandown and Dinosaur Isle.

Dinosaur Isle is a purpose-built dinosaur museum located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. It was designed by Rainey Petrie Johns and was the first custom-built dinosaur museum in Europe.

Island Echo reports that the project is shrouded in secrecy, with rumours swirling that two investors are in the running to redevelop Dinosaur Isle.

The investors are reported to be Winchester Science Centre and the company behind Dino-Park Münchehagen and Dino Parque Lourinhã in Portugal.

However, the publication also revealed that the Isle of Wight Council has spent £1,586 with Dino-Park Münchehagen.

This suggests that the council is moving forward with Dino-Park Münchehagen as the investor to transform Dinosaur Isle and the Sandown area into a major tourist attraction, with enough space to include a theme park.

Sandown area to be major tourist attraction

The council has not yet chosen an official investor, and a full business plan is still in development. The project will progress when it has an investor, business plan and planning permission.

It will also require an investment of £800,000 from the Isle of Wight Council. Council documents seemingly reveal that the project will not launch until at least 2023.

The EOI issued by the Isle of Wight Council in 2017 said it would be a “nationally important visitor attraction while further developing its role as a world-class scientific resource and an important regional educational centre”.

Spain is set to launch a Jurassic Park-style dinosaur theme park with life-size dinosaurs, tapas kiosks and a zip line in Malaga in 2021.

Dinosaur Isle and the surrounding land is owned freehold by the Isle of Wight Council.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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