Blow for £15m The River centre as aquarium bosses pull out

The board of Hull aquarium The Deep have announced they are no longer prepared to lead plans to create a sister attraction, known as The River, on a derelict dry dock on the opposite bank of the River Hull.

The 13m attraction would complement the underwater offerings of The Deep by housing an exotic array of plants, birds, mammals and reptiles beneath a tortoise-shaped glass dome.

Delivery of the project would act as a catalyst for the long-awaited regeneration of the run-down Fruit Market area in nearby Humber Street, one of the priority schemes for city economic development company Hull Forward.

Staff at The Deep have spent nearly three years and 100,000 developing The River proposals.

But they have now pulled out saying it was never The Deep's role to lead regeneration projects and revealed their own frustration at the lack of progress at the Fruit Market.

Deep chief executive Colin Brown said: "It is in our interests to see the Fruit Market developed because we are getting a bit tired of seeing people coming to The Deep, looking out over the Fruit Market and getting back in their cars and going home.

"But we felt it was perhaps inappropriate for us to be leading a regeneration project; that's not our expertise. We felt perhaps it would focus attention better if we said let's take a step back."

Mr Brown said he still hoped to see The River project succeed and said The Deep would happily endorse it and take part in its management and development if funding could be secured.

Plans for the 100m redevelopment of Fruit Market stalled just over a year ago when Hull Forward failed to reach an agreement with its preferred developer, the Manchester-based firm Igloo.

Then in March 2009 the Homes and Communities Agency said it was pumping 10.45m into the scheme to kick-start the development in response to the economic downturn.

The agency said the funding should "ensure construction work is underway as soon as possible".

But little has happened since Hull's fruit traders abandoned Humber Street for a new base in the west of the city last November. The lack of progress has prompted some questioning of Hull Forward's effectiveness in delivering such projects.

Conservative group leader on Hull Council Coun John Fareham said: "Members have talked about (the regeneration of) Whitefriargate and river buses (on the River Hull) and the list of things that members have asked the regeneration company to do is quite long.

"I'm shocked to learn that another project is being added to the list. We've just got to ask who sets the priorities and whether or not we are getting value for our money."

Hull Forward chief executive defended the agency's record and said it had created over 250 jobs and safeguarded 880 more since being launched in April 2008.

He added: "Despite the current economic conditions, we continue to drive forward a number of key priorities for the city namely the River Hull Footbridge which is under construction and the temporary lettings strategy in the Fruit Market.

"In addition, we have been working with some of the key partners and operators involved in the Whitefriargate/Trinity Quarter area of the city and have started delivering the first of a series of improvements with the aim of generating further interest, footfall and spend in this part of the city."