Support a New Dinosaur Museum and Science Park on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is one of Europe’s richest dinosaur fossil sites and the Dinosaur Isle Group have been petitioning the Isle of Wight Council to build a new museum and science park to showcase its world-famous discoveries. We're asking you to support the creation of a new Dinosaur Museum and Science Park in Sandown, right where these prehistoric animals once roamed.

In just the last five years, ten new species of dinosaurs have been discovered here—including Vectaerovenator, Riparovenator, Ceratosuchops, Brighstoneus, and Vectiraptor. These finds have gained international attention and proven that the island has the potential to become a global hub for palaeontology, education, and eco-tourism.

The island deserves a modern facility worthy of its extraordinary fossil collection. For over a decade, the Dinosaur Isle Group (DIG) has been promoting plans to build a new, sustainable Dinosaur Museum and Science Park in Sandown.

Our vision includes:

• A new state-of-the-art museum to house and protect the island’s globally important fossil collection

• A surrounding science park with life-sized, anatomically accurate dinosaur models displayed in a re-wilded natural environment.

• A research and education centre to attract scientists and students from across the UK and beyond.

• An immersive, inspiring destination for families, schools, and international visitors.

  
  

In 2017, our team submitted and won a competitive bid to make this vision a reality. However, due to council delays, procedural changes, and past opposition to using the land around the existing museum site, progress stalled. Now, the Sandown Town Council have been presented with new uses for the surrounding land so we believe the time is right to move forward again with our original plans.

This petition aims to show the Isle of Wight Council that the public strongly supports the building of a new museum and science park on the original Sandown site. Our plan would be to integrate nature and science, creating a vibrant space where dinosaur models are displayed within a rewilded habitat, bringing the prehistoric world to life in a sustainable, educational setting. It would also provide new opportunities for local jobs, school engagement, and tourism. Together, we can show the Isle of Wight Council that the public strongly supports this vision, so when any tender for the change of use of the council-owned land is issued, it’s clear that people want it to be used for a new museum and science park

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give the Isle of Wight a museum that reflects its global importance in the world of palaeontology. If you support the idea of a new dinosaur museum and science park, right where the fossils are found in Sandown, please sign and share this petition.