A NEW bird-viewing dome has been condemned as a "waste of public money" as visitors can't even see the birds inside.
The large aviary is home to more than 200 exotic rescue birds and is supposed to offer a "360 degree viewing experience", but onlookers have said you can't see past its layered metal grills.
The tourist attraction cost more than £400,000, much of which came from public donations, and has been over 20 years in the making.
But after its grand-unveiling in Bournemouth, Dorset, visitors have been left underwhelmed.
Taking several months to build, the dome has been made using a shadowy double-layered metal grill to stop visitors feeding the birds and protect their fingers from being nipped.
The top of the object is also covered in solid metal, which hardly lets any light through and keeps the exotic birds in the dark.
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Paul Rice, from Marlborough, Wilts, who frequently visits Bournemouth with partner, Karron Fitchett, said: "The majority of people just walk past now because they can't see inside.
"£400,000 is a lot of money for that, isn't it? You can't see a thing – all you can see is shadow.
"All those people who have put money into it can't even look at the birds".
Ms Fitchett described herself as a "bird lover", but said she was disappointed by the aviary. She added: "You'd think they'd have had experts looking at the design who would realise".
Giran Bhardwas, 65, from London, said: "I was trying to take some pictures on my phone to show my granddaughter but I couldn't see anything.
"I don't think it was worth £400,000 – they should have spent the money on more public toilets."
"Total Eye Sore"
Tripadviser reviews of the new aviary have been equally unflattering, with one visitor writing it is "not worth looking at".
They said: "The gardens are always lovely but we were so disappointed in the new aviary.
"Such a shame the architect could not have come up with something better. Always on our visits we would go see the birds but its not worth looking at anymore".
Others urged the architects who designed it to "put it right". One wrote: "The new aviary is very poor – the birds are very hard to see through the two layers of mesh. This really needs a redesign".
Dismayed visitors also took to Facebook to criticise the design, with some branding it a "poorly designed eyesore" that looks like the "thunder dome" from post-apocalyptic film Mad Max.
Chris Grant said it was a "great idea but an awful design" while Bev Lloyd described it as a "total eye sore".
Moni Chai said: "The extra cage ruins the view and nobody seems to want to fix it – what a shame. Not enough thought has gone into it but I bet lots of money was so we're stuck with this c**p view".
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Named the Coopper Thompson Rescue Aviary, the disappointing dome was funded by £266,255 in public donations – as well as a £150,000 community infrastructure levy from the BCP Council and the Parks Foundation, a local charity.
The Parks Foundation described it as a "landmark structure" offering more room for the birds to fly and a "360 degree viewing experience".
They said it was built to "higher welfare standards" using "sustainable" materials.
However, a local council spokesman acknowledged the criticisms, and admitted they would be trialing various "options" to improve visibility.
Councillor Mark Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place, said: "The new Bournemouth Aviary has been designed to keep the birds safe, which is why we have a double mesh layer on the outside.
"This prevents people from feeding the birds which can be harmful to them, and helps keep fingers safe from being pecked. It also provides variable shade for the birds.
"We want everyone who visits it to enjoy 360-degree views of the birds and we recommend standing close to the mesh to see the birds, however, we are aware that not everyone can see through the double mesh layer.
"Taking on board this feedback, will be trialling various options in the coming weeks that will allow better visibility from outside the aviary looking in."
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