Dorset Jurassica dinosaur museum: Consultations over transport

The attraction would be built in a 35m (114ft) deep disused quarry on Portland

The charity behind a proposed £80m dinosaur-themed museum on the Jurassic Coast is to consult residents over transport concerns.

Jurassica, which lost out on £16m of lottery funding in May, is planned for a quarry in Portland, Dorset.

Portland charity Island Community Action is due to run consultations on the impact of projected traffic levels.

Jurassica chief executive Michael Hanlon said they knew transport and access were "concerns".

In November, Jurassica commissioned a £30,000 traffic study into the project.

Jurassica said an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 visitors a year were expected.

Portland is reached by a single carriageway road from Weymouth. The nearest train station is in Weymouth.

Preliminary designs for a translucent roof over the quarry have been drawn up by Renzo Piano, the architect behind the Shard in London

Mr Hanlon: said "Building anything new and big on Portland is bound to have an impact on traffic. Any concerns people have are valid.

"Work is under way with the transport team at Dorset County Council to model our projected traffic to see where and what the effect on Dorset's roads will be."

Jurassica, which is planned to be set under a translucent roof in a disused quarry, will depict the coast 150 million years ago.

Dorset brewery Hall and Woodhouse was announced as a commercial sponsor for the project in June.

More details about the project are due to be shown at a community event later this month.

Sir David Attenborough is the project's patron and the Eden Project's Sir Tim Smit is a trustee. It also has the backing of the Royal Society and the Natural History Museum.

Jurassica's chief executive Michael Hanlon previously "promised" the museum would open by 2021.

This article was amended on 29 September 2015 after a clerical error by the Jurassic team led to incorrect projected visitor numbers being stated in a report by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

Sir David Attenborough is patron of the Jurassica project