The National Lottery has told Rutland County Council it can apply for a grant to help fund a multi-million pound cultural and civic centre. 

The Liberal Democrat-run authority wants to remodel and extend the county museum in Catmos Street to include an exhibition space to display the prehistoric ichthyosaur 'sea dragon' discovered at Rutland Water in 2021. 

The project is estimated to cost £7.6m, funded in part from capital receipts from the sale of the council's existing offices at Catmose House. But there is a significant shortfall, for which a £4.6m lottery grant would be needed. 

The council had discussed moving into the cultural and civic centre, or to Oakham Enterprise Park in Ashwell Road, although local government reorganisation could mean Rutland County Council's days are numbered. 

At this morning's (Feb 11) cabinet meeting, Councillor Paul Browne (Lib Dem), cabinet member for economic development, said the council had received news from the National Lottery that a grant would be considered. 

He said: "They are willing to give the application their consideration. This is very much a first step."  

But he urged caution and said if things did not go according to plan, the 'ultimate option of closure' for the museum could not be discounted. 

His apprehension was echoed by council leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem), who said: "It is not a done deal. These lottery grants are highly competitive. The fact they are telling us to bid at all is an achievement." 

The authority had secured money from the former Conservative government's levelling up fund to pay for the conservation and digitisation of the sea dragon fossil and a Roman mosaic that was also discovered in Rutland. Both exhibits are of national importance. 

Rutland County Council will now need to take ownership of the sea dragon fossil from Anglian Water, so it can be adopted into its museum collection, a move it agreed to proceed with at today's meeting. 

The Ichthyosaur found at Rutland Water could get a new home in Rutland County Museum (Photo: Discover Rutland)

The details of the financial costs of the scheme, including the possible price that may be achieved for selling off the Grade II listed Catmose House, were kept private. 

The cabinet was unanimous in its support for the scheme. Coun Christine Wise (Lib Dem) said it heralded a 'potentially bright future' and Coun Andrew Johnson (Lib Dem) said the opportunity afforded by the new exhibits was enormous. 

Along with agreeing to take ownership of the ichthyosaur, the cabinet agreed to spend £170,000 on the technical design work for the scheme and move forward with the lottery bid.