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Fair Isle: Fire-hit bird observatory rebuild wins £2.35m funding

BBC The blaze at the Fair Isle Bird ObservatoryBBC
Fire destroyed the famous research centre in 2019

A project to rebuild the famous Fair Isle Bird Observatory after it burned down has secured a funding package of more than £2m.

The internationally-renowned research centre in Shetland was destroyed in March 2019.

The Scottish government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) have now announced funding totalling £2.35m.

It goes towards the £7.4m cost of creating a new and improved building on the remote island.

Fair Isle - between Orkney and Shetland - is three miles long, one-and-a-half miles wide, and has a population of about 50. It is regarded as being one of the best places in Europe to see rare birds which stop off for a rest and feed along their migration routes.

The aim is for the new building to have improved accommodation for students and volunteers.

Colin Armstrong Architects Fair Isle Bird ObservatoryColin Armstrong Architects
The plan is for a new and improved building

The project is led by Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust (FIBOT).

Designed by Inverness-based Colin Armstrong Architects, the building would be largely constructed off-site before being shipped to Fair Isle.

Subject to planning consent, it is hoped that construction on the island could get under way next summer, and the new observatory could welcome its first visitors in 2023.

Katrina Wiseman, interim area manager for HIE's Shetland area team, said: "This project is of vital importance to Fair Isle, bringing back a key income-generating facility, providing employment, hosting visitors to the Island, and providing world-renowned research."

FIBOT chairman Douglas Barr said they were "extremely grateful" for the funding package.