PLANS are moving forward to create a Jurassic themed attraction on Portland.

The future of the Jurassica project looks bright after a new business advisory group was launched this week and the project received £10,000 of funding to help it with its business planning.

Project organisers said the work is moving forward and they are keen to make sure the project “comes from Portland” and is wanted by the community.

They said the support so far from the community, businesses and councils had been excellent.

The project would see a subterranean geological park built which would bring to life more than 200 million years of prehistory and tell the story of Deep Time and the Jurassic Coast.

The project is supported by Sir Tim Smit and Sir David Attenborough. Following the sudden death of founder Michael Hanlon earlier this year there was an outpouring of support with people saying they wanted to see the project continue.

The aims of the new business advisory group, chaired by Dorset Chamber Chief Executive Ian Girling, will be to brief the project on business developments in the county, and help with communication to businesses within the region.

He said: “The group unanimously agreed to support and throw its weight behind all the work and discussions involved in moving towards planning over the next 18 months.”

The group heard from project chairman Tracey Brown and members of the project team, including Professor John Fletcher, Pro Vice Chancellor at Bournemouth University, an internationally renowned economist regarded for his work on tourism impact.

He said: “The meeting was very positive, it had a nice feel to it, everyone was quite enthused.” He said the project, combined with all the other tourist attractions in the county, would create a ‘wonderful future’ for tourism in Dorset and bring employment opportunities.

The meeting was hosted at the Pensylvannia Castle, whose owners Colonial Leisure are sponsors of the project. Chris Holleyoak, managing director, said: “Jurassica is an aspirational project which will be game changing for the area.’’

Project coordinator Alison Smith said they were very grateful to have been granted £5,000 each from Dorset County Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to support their business planning.

She said: “It’s about getting everyone on board.”
and making sure the conversation goes. This has to come through from Portland and it has to be wanted.”

She added: “The message from this is the project has leadership and support and is really pressing forward.”

It was about working with businesses and the community to move the project forward and formalising a lot of the support they had already received, she said.

The team is currently working on their planning application and hope to submit it, subject to funding, in 2017.