The hen observatory was wind and watertight by the top of final 12 months. Photo: David Parnaby.
Fair Isle Bird Observatory won’t be reopening this 12 months as a consequence of troubles with the building work, trustees have confirmed.
Fibo introduced at this time (Monday) that work on the positioning had come to a halt after the contractors lodged a discover to nominate an administrator.
“This is particularly frustrating given we now have a wind and watertight building and were in the process of completing the internals which were scheduled to finish this autumn,” it stated.
“Before we are able to continue, there are a number of legal, financial and practical issues that will have to be attended to.
“This means that unfortunately we will not be reopening this year.”
The venture has already needed to overcome quite a few challenges since a fireplace destroyed the previous observatory in 2019.
First it managed to boost substantial funds by means of a celebrity-endorsed crowdfunding marketing campaign.
Then it needed to revise its plans after struggling to discover a contractor capable of ship the venture.
Once the contractor was appointed, they needed to negotiate the treacherous seas round Fair Isle to ship the modules of the prefabricated building by barge.
After overcoming numerous weather-related delays, the ultimate modules arrived on web site final summer season.
