News - Decision due on Robin Hood visitor attraction

THE long-awaited transformation of Sherwood Forest will move a step closer on Wednesday (17th) with confirmation of the successful bidder for the project.


Nottinghamshire County Council has been considering two proposals for a new visitor attraction at the world-famous Robin Hood site and will seek approval from the policy committee on its preferred choice.

Both bidders are anonymous at this stage and no plans will be made public until the 10--day formal procurement process has been completed.

The new operator will design, fund, build and manage a new visitor centre attraction, which hopes to boost tourism by up to 150,000 visitors a year.

As previously reported in Chad, plans for a tree-themed design fell through after the project failed to win support from the Big Lottery Fund.

Last year, the county council decided to shelve the development until 2014 due to funding cuts.

The brief for the project is to create ‘a new visitor attraction which promotes and enhances the reputation of Sherwood Forest, the legend of Robin Hood and the broader history and heritage of Nottinghamshire’.

It will also create new jobs , boost local businesses and the wider local economy.

Coun John Cottee, chairman of the county council’s culture committee said: “Many months have already been spent on these proposals to reach this point which we hope will not only help us open a new attraction to captivate and enthuse visitors, but also to help preserve the natural ecology of Sherwood Forest and be a major boost for tourism and job creation locally.”

Members of the policy committee will be asked to approve the council’s recommendation at County Hall tomorrow.

Confirmation of the successful bidder means the council will then enter into legal agreements for them to manage the new development.

Coun Cottee added: “I know that there are a lot of people who are waiting to find out what will be happening at Sherwood and I’d like to reassure people that as soon as we have some information to share - we will.

“It’s worth adding that whatever the successful bidder designs, it will be subject to the usual consultation and planning processes.”

Celia Brooks, chairman of Edwinstowe Parish Council, thinks moving the centre closer to the village will benefit local businesses.

She said: “We need the right sort of attraction. We don’t want Disneyland.

“We are not worried about it being closer to the village as it may improve business.

“Improvements on the access road will need to be made.”

From: http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/decision-due-on-robin-hood-visitor-attraction-1-5032764

News - New Sherwood Forest visitor centre must have the ‘wow’ factor (Edwinstowe)

A COUNCILLOR says the new visitor centre at Sherwood Forest needs to be a ‘top drawer’ attraction which will last for the next 40 years.

Nottinghamshire County Council wants to develop a 21st Century replacement for the outdated building and, on Wednesday, cabinet members approved plans to look for a business partner so a replacement can be in place by 2014.

The authority will continue to run and manage the forest but will seek a public or private sector partner to develop a ‘visitor experience for the 21st century’ on land adjacent to the forest.

Speaking at a meeting of Edwinstowe Parish Council, Coun John Peck said that he is not against private sector investment but the centre needs to have a ‘wow factor’ to draw in tourists worldwide.

“The current visitor centre is tired and past its sell by date, but it will be a huge mistake if we penny pinch and the new centre does not last for 40 years,” he said.

“I am pleased at last that something is happening and we all understand the current financial restraints of the local authority - but it has to be something special as tourism helps boost our economy.”

Coun Peck, who is Newark & Sherwood district councillor for Edwinstowe, also addressed the issue in a letter to Chad this week.

“At the moment, many tourists must leave slightly disappointed and if the county council wants to show real vision, it should see the visitor centre as the centrepiece of a Sherwood Forest Regional Park,” he wrote.

“I wish them luck in the present economic climate, I am not against private sector involvement, but the county council must know any private company will want to make a profit. Wherever the money comes from, the county council needs to show vision and ambition.

“This is one chance to create something which will still be a top drawer attraction for the next 40 years.

“They’ve already cut the estimated budget for the project to £5m. It sounds a lot, but sadly it will only be enough to build another fairly insignificant, low key attraction.”

Dr Patrick Candler, Nottinghamshire County Council’s service director for Cultural Services, attended last Tuesday’s council meeting.

“We need to secure partner agencies and the parish council is very important,” he said.

“We see the site as a honey pot, not just for local people, but for people from all across the world.”

“We accept that tourism is a key economic factor which we need to support - it has always been a commitment of the authority to do something, it is just a case of when.”

From: http://www.chad.co.uk/news/business/new_sherwood_forest_visitor_centre_must_have_the_wow_factor_1_3782375