The café at Dundee’s Discovery Point is under threat of closure as the Heritage Trust faces “enormous financial pressures”.
The charity which runs the attraction has entered into a two-week consultation on potential redundancy with staff working at the café.
It comes after the café posted “significant losses” over a period of several years.
It also follows a review of the management structure of the Trust. which was undertaken following the retirement of its Chief Executive.
No decision will be made on the future of the Discovery Point café until the consultation period has finished.
A spokesperson for the Heritage Trust said: “Like many organisations in the culture and tourism sectors, we are under enormous financial pressure, especially as we receive almost no public funding.
“We constantly keep operations under review. The café at Discovery Point has been making significant losses for some years.
“We have entered a two-week consultation with staff and all options are being considered.
“No decision will be made on the future of the café or on staffing issues until after the consultation period.”
Chief Executive retires
The consultation with staff at the Discovery Point café follows the retirement of the Chief Executive of the Heritage Trust, Deirdre Robertson.
Announcing the news in October, the trust said Ms Robertson had opted to leave after five years in the job.
A subsequent review of the management structure of the trust was undertaken, which resulted in the charity reverting back to its previous operating model – meaning the job is shared between three people.
The spokesperson added: “Following the retirement of the chief executive, Deirdre Robertson, the board has agreed to go back to the operating model used by the trust for more than 30 years up to the appointment of Ms Robertson four years ago.
“This is a collegiate approach whereby the three-person executive management team takes collective responsibility for running the Trust.
“This structure served the Trust very well for a long time, but it will be kept under review by the Board of Trustees.”
Figures released last year showed the number of visitors to the Discovery Point had fallen by 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
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