The long wait continues - new Fair Isle observatory building unlikely to be ready for many months to come

                                                       

So near, yet so far. Lighthouse released this photograph last year to illustrate  how the £7.4-million project was progressing  

CONFIRMATION has come that the firm tasked with building a new bird observatory on  Fair Isle has entered administration.

Lighthouse/IDMH Ltd specialised in the  manufacture of modular buildings  from a factory in Sheffield.

The units for Fair Isle were transported by road to Grimsby, then by sea to Fair Isle.

Although the main structure of the bird observatory has been installed, Lighthouse experienced cashflow problems before the project could be completed.

Attempts to secure a buyer for the business and its assets failed, resulting in the appointment of Richard Goodall and Martyn Rickels of  business advisory firm FRP Advisory's Manchester offices  as joint administrators on March 22.

In response to the setback, the bird observatory management board has issued this statement: "We have to identify what works require to be completed and how we manage to carry these out.

"This process will take some time to undertake.

"Once finished, we shall review how we bring the rebuild to fruition after which we will  post an update."

During the regrettable hiatus ornithological surveys continue to be conducted by Alex Penn, Luke Marriner and Jonnie Fisk.

Sadly the demise of Lighthouse is reported to have cost the jobs of all 113 staff-members.

The joint administrators will seek both to secure returns for creditors and to support former employees' claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.

* Other high profile administrations handled by FRP Advisory include retailers Debenhams, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Peacocks and Laura Ashley