Island garden hoping for new owner

12:17 16th November 2011

Greenhouse enthusiasts might be interested to know that the Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight is hoping for a new owner to step forward, after the council made it available to an independent organisation from next April.

The council is inviting community groups to make enquiries about the 11.7 hectare site so they can take over the day-to-day running of the establishment.

Global economic uncertainty has been cited as the main reason behind the council's move and it has considered approaching organisations such as the Royal Horticultural Society and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew about taking over the site.

"Because of the financial pressures we face, the council is no longer able to run Ventnor Botanic Garden to its full potential. We look forward to working with a preferred bidder," said Ian Anderson, of the Isle of Wight Council.

Ventnor Botanic Gardens houses one of the country's vastest collections of half-hardy southern hemisphere plants.