JurASSICA

Local Growth Funding to support design and planning work for a major new tourist attraction in Portland.

Project Status - Completed

  • Start Date: 01/04/2015
  • End Date: 30/04/2015 
  • Local Growth Fund allocation: £300,000
  • Awarded to: Jurassica
  • This project has now merged with Eden Portland

Project Summary:

Jurassica’s ambition was to be a world class heritage attraction, based on the Isle of Portland located on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. Jurassica was a registered UK charity whose main purpose is the advancement of education for the public benefit, the aim was to do this through the establishment of an educational and scientific resource of global significance. The vision was to bring to a huge audience Britain’s extraordinary scientific heritage and the unique role played by the county of Dorset in the birth of modern science and the understanding of evolution.

Jurassica received £300k of Local Growth Funding. This was provided for the development of a feasibility study and Heritage Lottery Fund application for further funding. Although the HLF application was unsuccessful, the project has secured the money needed to continue from other sources, Dorset LEP's investment has been a key catalyst in helping the project to gain traction with private sponsors and donors.


Outputs:

  • Feasibility study and bidding document for HIF application.

Outcomes:

  • 4 jobs
  • £4m leverage

In October 2017, Eden Portland brought together the visions of two world-class attraction projects that had been planned for Portland for some time - MEMO (Mass Extinction Monitoring Observatory) and Jurassica.

View the End of Project Report.