AS work continues to deliver a £7.5m field studies centre in Lyme Regis, the Natural History Museum says it is looking at ways to continue working within the World Heritage Site.

Organisations in Lyme Regis and Charmouth have been working for the past four years on a project to provide the Jurassic Coast Field Studies Centre, a world-class educational facility in or around Lyme.

Marcus Dixon, Lyme Regis Development Trust Manager and one of the project leaders, said talks to get London's Natural History Museum on board are at an early stage.

Sharon Ament, director of public engagement at the Natural History Museum, said: "We have worked for many years with the Jurassic Coast Team on the hugely successful Lyme Regis Fossil Festival.

"While nothing has been agreed as yet, we would like to continue our relationship with the Jurassic Coast in the future and we are looking at several ways of doing this."

The field studies centre would include 120 beds and cost between £5m and £7.5m to build, although no definite site has yet been identified.

A slice of the cash has already come from South West of England Regional Development Agency, which has allocated £1.6m to Lyme Regis Jurassic Coast projects, the majority of which is likely to go to the study centre.

Mr Dixon said: "The reality is the UK funding environment is very tough at the moment. The Olympics are drawing a lot of money out of grant-giving organisations. We have identified ways in which we can attract the additional funding. We are also in discussions over a couple of potential sites."

The centre will aim to create a sustainable year-round tourism facility, helping to engage people with science and take advantage of local geology and fossil experts.

Mr Dixon said: "Woodbury Down is the existing study centre which takes students, but it has been earmarked for redevelopment in the local plan. We are arguing that a study centre is important to the local economy.

"We have a heavy economic dependence in the town on a traditional holiday offer, which is very weather dependent and the weather seems to be getting worse. It is also getting very competitive."

Mr Dixon estimates that around 200 beds have been lost in and around Lyme with so many hotels turned into apartments.

He said: "South West Tourism estimate that for each hotel bed, that person would spend between £50 and £100 in the broader local economy. That means millions of pounds have been taken out of the Lyme Regis broader economy.

"If our strategy works it will attract more people to stay in the resort, so it fuels the economy. It would create employment opportunities and also create indirect prosperity.

"Having a study centre would enable us to attract groups of people to Lyme.

"The Fossil Festival is the way that we are demonstrating to people how the study centre could work - I call it a proof of concept project."

Also working with the development trust on the project is Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, Lyme Regis Museum, Town Mill Trust, LymeArts Community Trust, and Lyme Regis Town Council.