NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Johnny Andrews, has welcomed a plan to keep the Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry open, but he warned that Newtownards Borough Council’s initiative might be a short-term fix.
“The council has agreed a business plan, which is dependent on £900,000 of funding being forthcoming from the Executive”, Johnny explained. “My NI Conservatives’ colleague, Bill McKendry, and I have been involved heavily in the campaign to keep Exploris, so we think any scheme to rescue the aquarium and the seal sanctuary is welcome. It is an important facility for Northern Ireland and it has been badly deprived of investment.”
“We do have reservations, though, that the plan is simply a patch up solution, to keep Exploris open until the new super councils are formed. There have been action plans and business plans before, which have failed or had their recommendations ignored. If an injection of cash is to give the aquarium a long-term future, the management structure and its working practices need to be looked at. The facility needs to become profitable and, ultimately, that will require a commercial approach, not just money from government.”
“For the seal sanctuary to be sustainable, we feel there needs to be a proper, upgraded public viewing tank, rather than just a rescue centre. To give all the facilities a long-term future, the best option is to run Exploris as a public / private sector enterprise. This works wonderfully for an attraction like the Titanic visitor centre, which is managed efficiently, by a private company, but remains in public ownership.”
“It has taken 25 years for the council to have its eureka moment and decide that Exploris should have seasonal opening. There has been a huge cost involved in examining its future, with legal consultations and business plans. The latest one alone cost £35,000. Another injection of public money is certainly welcome, but the council and the executive need to take a long-hard look at making the aquarium sustainable and efficient, so that its future will be secure and it can remain a top attraction for everyone in Northern Ireland.”