Plans for new Fair Isle bird observatory return to drawing board as Brexit and Covid-19 thwart rebuilding efforts

The charity behind the world-renowned Fair Isle bird observatory has been forced to return to the drawing board in its attempts to rebuild the centre, which was destroyed in a devastating fire nearly two years ago.

An artist's impression of the proposed £7.4m replacement building for the Fair Isle bird observatory. Picture: PA Wire

It had been hoped that the arduous task of rebuilding the internationally significant hub of scientific research into seabirds and bird migration would begin this year. However, just one company submitted a tender to carry out the work, which was several million pounds over the projected budget.

Faced with minimal income, the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust (FIBOT) has now made its only two members of paid staff redundant in a move which will also have lasting repercussions for the tiny Shetland island community.

The trust said the £7.4 million rebuilding project had been hindered by the dual challenges of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, and that short of cost cutting, it had been unable to find an alternative solution which would ensure its survival.

Its trustees are now undertaking a “comprehensive review” of all building options, which will require a redesign and a new tendering process, but hope that that a new building could be open by 2023.

The observatory, located on Britain’s most remote inhabited island, forms the backbone of Fair Isle’s fragile economy, drawing hundreds of tourists and researchers every year.

It was the brainchild of conservationist, George Waterston, who first visited Fair Isle in the 1930s, and drew up detailed plans for the inaugural observatory while incarcerated in the Oflag VII-B prisoner of war camp in Bavaria.

Since opening in 1948, the centre has been rebuilt and expanded several times over, with the most recent building opening in 2011 after a £4m renovation, when David and Susannah Parnaby arrived from Aberdeenshire to run the observatory.

As the observatory’s warden and administrator, they have been a mainstay ever since, coordinating vital research while raising their young family.

But faced with further delays to the rebuild, the trust has announced that the couple are to be made redundant.

In a statement, FIBOT explained: “We ran a £80,000 deficit in 2020, primarily reflecting ongoing staff costs and minimal income, which is clearly unsustainable. We are no different to any other organisation or charity in that, without income, we cannot survive.

“While we aim to maintain our core mission, we are now forced to make changes in how we operate in the short-term.”

Douglas Barr, chair of the trust, added: “For David and Susannah, who have worked for us for ten years, we fully appreciate the pain and difficulties these circumstances and our decisions will present.”

The Parnabys said: “Fair Isle is a very special place. We’ve met so many lovely people through working at the observatory, and it’s been a privilege to contribute to the significant ornithological work carried out on Fair Isle.

“The work of the observatory is very important. We hope to see that work continue, we want to see a positive future for the isle, and we support the ambition that the observatory will be part of that.”

Since the observatory was devastated by the blaze in March 2019, the trust has launched a crowdfunding appeal to help meet the cost of a replacement facility. The campaign has raised £543,000 of its £650,000 target to date.

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