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.

For the last 10 years I attempted to find suitable investors, and only recently have I been successful in finding the partnership of Clive Farrell and Luke Brown.

Clive Farrell has been described as “probably the world's only millionaire property developer butterfly entrepreneur”. He lives in Sherborne and owns the Stratford-upon-Avon butterfly Farm, which is one of the largest in Europe. He also owns others overseas, including the celebrated Butterfly World in Florida.

Luke Brown is the director of the Butterfly Gardener Limited. Luke has been responsible for the Butterfly House at London’s Natural History Museum for the past 10 years and has consulted on and run more than 30 exhibitions in various countries, including one in the Emir of Kuwait’s Royal Palace. Luke has a strong affinity for the town, having come here for his annual holiday with his parents almost every year as a child and now visits regularly with his own family.

There is a willingness to invest more than £1million pounds in establishing such a butterfly house in Bournemouth. Clive and Luke have said that it would be among the best in the world. There could be no better partnership than Clive and Luke to take on such an exciting venture, which is evident to see in their existing work across the globe.

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.

When the IMAX was being demolished, there was a borough-wide questionnaire as to what should replace it. Residents were given a choice from a shortlist of seven options. One of their favourite choices was the establishment of a tropical garden. An indoor tropical butterfly farm is just that with, in addition to hundreds of butterflies, luxurious vegetation, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, stick insects, leaf cutting ants and numerous other fascinating animals. Such exhibitions are a true delight

The town is short of all-weather family attractions and the butterfly exhibition would be a wonderful addition to the town’s tourist facilities, as well as for local residents and schools. The rental income to the council would be considerable and the financial benefits due to the impact on the local economy would be incalculable.

Unfortunately, the council has said that it is not prepared for the former Waterfront site to be used for this purpose.

If Clive and Luke are unable to build such a facility in Bournemouth, then they have said that they will look at establishing one in another seaside resort in the south of England.

I believe the council is wrong to reject their offer. A permanent indoor tropical butterfly exhibition is perfect for Bournemouth. We should not miss this opportunity.

DR RODNEY COOPER, councillor for Wallisdown and Winton West 2007-2015; portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism 2010-2013; mayor of Bournemouth 2013-14