Dorset Council is selling Derby’s Tin Dragon Interpretation Centre, one of the last remaining sections of the Trail of the Tin Dragon tourism route.
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Initially announced in 2004, The Trail of the Tin Dragon was designed to tell the history of Chinese mining migrants through the North East, from the 1800s onwards.
However, it was not well publicised and did not become well-known outside the North East.
The Derby Interpretation Centre was a key museum centrepiece to the trail, which stretched from Launceston to St Helens.
Mr Howard said Council did not want to invest ratepayer funds into the property further.
“From Council's point of view it’s an asset we don’t need,” Mr Howard said.
“We’re selling it with the land at the back as well so we’re hoping that someone might be able to purchase it and develop it further.”
The Trail of the Tin Dragon was developed as a major draw-card for the North East, with then-Dorset Mayor Peter Partridge at the time noting the importance of the project.
When the tourist route was initially developed, it was expected to attract 60,000 visitors a year at a boost of $9 million to the economy.
“They built the Interpretation Centre at Derby and then the rest of the trail … never happened, so therefor the whole concept just basically fell over,” Mr Howard said.
But Mr Howard said the trail had not been successful in attracting tourists, noting that young people were less interested in history compared to the booming mountain bike scene in Derby.
“A lot of young people have virtually no interest in the historical sites, so things like the mountain bikes appeal to them,” Mr Howard said.
He said he hoped the sale of the property, with the current lease still in place, would see the land developed further to boost Derby’s growth in the mountain biking and outdoor adventure sectors.
“We’ve got a number of expressions of interest, so we’ll be dealing with those in the very near future,” he said.
A recommendation will be passed through Council before the Interpretation needs to be sold, but Mr Howard said he expected that to take place soon.