MORE than £1million has been pledged to build a tropical butterfly house on the site of Bournemouth’s former Imax cinema.

The Dorset-based owner of Florida’s Butterfly World and the man responsible for the butterfly house at London’s Natural History Museum are both signed up to the idea.

But former mayor Rod Cooper, who has spent 10 years putting together the scheme, says Bournemouth council has so far refused to lease the site for the project.

Mr Cooper promoted the idea when he was in charge of leisure at the council, which had bought the Waterfront complex and was consulting the public over what should go there.

In a letter to today’s Daily Echo, he writes: “Whilst I was a local councillor, I canvassed strongly for the town to have an indoor tropical butterfly house.

“Anyone who has visited one of these will know just how enjoyable they are. They appeal to people of all ages, are suitable for those with disabilities and are of great educational value.”

Eventually, the council demolished the Waterfront building and left the site empty as an outdoor performance area. The aim was to build something when the economy picked up.

Mr Cooper has found two backers, Clive Farrell and Luke Brown.

Clive Farrell, who lives in Sherborne, owns the Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm and Butterfly World in Florida.

Luke Brown is director of the Butterfly Gardener Ltd and has been responsible for the butterfly house at London’s Natural History Museum for the past 10 years.

Mr Cooper said: “There is a willingness to invest more than £1m in establishing such a butterfly house in Bournemouth. Clive and Luke have said that it would be among the best in the world.”

He added: “We looked at several possible sites around the Borough but in the end Clive and Luke were only interest in one, namely the former Waterfront/IMAX site.

“This was partly due to the excellent location but also because it benefits from the perfect light requirements that are very important for a successful exhibit. To make the project viable and to justify the capital cost, they would require at least a 25-year lease. The present performance area was always intended to be temporary”

He said the council had not been prepared to lease the site and the partners could establish the butterfly house in another resort.

“I believe the council is wrong to reject their offer. A permanent indoor tropical butterfly exhibition is perfect for Bournemouth,” he said.

The operators considered a temporary butterfly house but decided only a permanent attraction would be viable.

Chris Saunders, head of tourism operations at Bournemouth council, said: “There is strong public opinion about maintaining the views from Bath Hill so due to the scale, a permanent facility of this type, at this location, would clearly not be appropriate.”