A BITE-size chunk of the ambitious Jurassica project will be on display at a special event.

Members of the public will for the first time be able to see how the £80 million scheme will look upon its completion at a free “Pop-up Jurassica” event held at Osprey Leisure Centre in Castletown.

As part of the free three-day event, the project’s bosses will open three mini-domes in the sports hall of the leisure centre, which will showcase fossils found along the Jurassic Coast, a paleo-lab which will bring to life some of the sea monsters that inhabited the seas off the coast in the dinosaur era, plus other hands-on activities and talks from experts.

The Jurassica Project – which will see the creation of a subterranean prehistoric exhibition centre at the disused Yeolands Quarry on Portland and will look similar to the Eden Project in Cornwall – has gained the support of Sir David Attenborough and is now gathering momentum and support from local businesses despite missing out on a Heritage Lottery Grant earlier in the year.

When it is completed, the project will use a variety of ground-breaking technology to display how the creatures lived in the Jurassic era.

A series of public meetings earlier this year saw residents and local businesses turn out to hear the latest developments and put their questions to the project’s chief executive Michael Hanlon.

Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Hanlon said: “It was important to us that we didn’t do just another town hall meeting, so we’re doing something different with the pop-up.”

“The idea is really very simple. We take a huge hole in the ground, put a lid on it, and fill it with wonderful things.”

As well as the action-packed schedule at Osprey Leisure Centre, there will also be the chance for members of the public to visit the potential site with some of the project’s bosses to learn more about it.

Bosses hope the park will be open in 2021 if they can raise the £80 million and gain planning permission.

Alison Smith, project coordinator, said: “The exhibition will be the first chance for people to see the plans for the project, our galleries and how we propose to use the site which will include our detailed architecture and design models.

“We want to tell people what Jurassica is and give those a feel for what Jurassica will be like.

“Jurassica is clearly a powerful idea that has really caught people’s imagination, so much so that managing expectations has proved to be something of a challenge.

“We have had lots of enquiries from potential visitors who think we are already open and want to book tickets. We are a big project, around £80 million, but we are at a very early stage.

“We’re only just beginning the 18 month process of taking the project from feasibility to planning.”

The three-day event will take place over August Bank Holiday Weekend, from Friday 28 until Monday 31.

For more information visit spacehive.com/popupjurassica and direct project enquiries to alison@juras sica.org