Glasgow council approves £66m redevelopment of Burrell Collection
Revamped museum could open in 2019
Glasgow City Council has approved proposals to undertake refurbishment and redisplay of the Burrell Collection that could cost up to £66m.
The council has undertaken a master planning exercise that outlines plans to increase access at the museum and put more than 90% of the 9,000-strong collection on display.
The plans will also see the basement stores opened up to the public for the first time, improved cafe and retail areas and the creation of a new outside civic space.
It is estimated that the redevelopment will cost between £60m and £66m. The council has been asked to fund 50% of the cost, with the remainder raised through a £15m Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid, a fundraising campaign and grants from public bodies. The success of the HLF application will be announced in May.
The council’s executive committee has also approved an initial £5m investment in capital costs to progress the project, which will cover a detailed design development, surveys to assess the condition of the Category A-listed building and exhibition designs. This information will help form a future stakeholder consultation.
Peter Hutchison, the chairman of the Burrell trustees, welcomed the decision: “New gallery space will be created, a wider range of objects displayed, facilities upgraded, and any structural defects, such as the roof, remedied.”
If the HLF application is successful the museum will close in early 2016 and reopen in 2019. During the closure some objects will go on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow and there will also be an international tour.
The Burrell Collection was given to the city of Glasgow by William Burrell in 1944, with the museum opening in 1983. In November 2013, a Scottish parliamentary committee endorsed a bill to overturn a condition of the bequest that the collection should not leave the country. The bill was passed on 21 January 2014 and received royal assent the following month.
The council has undertaken a master planning exercise that outlines plans to increase access at the museum and put more than 90% of the 9,000-strong collection on display.
The plans will also see the basement stores opened up to the public for the first time, improved cafe and retail areas and the creation of a new outside civic space.
It is estimated that the redevelopment will cost between £60m and £66m. The council has been asked to fund 50% of the cost, with the remainder raised through a £15m Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid, a fundraising campaign and grants from public bodies. The success of the HLF application will be announced in May.
The council’s executive committee has also approved an initial £5m investment in capital costs to progress the project, which will cover a detailed design development, surveys to assess the condition of the Category A-listed building and exhibition designs. This information will help form a future stakeholder consultation.
Peter Hutchison, the chairman of the Burrell trustees, welcomed the decision: “New gallery space will be created, a wider range of objects displayed, facilities upgraded, and any structural defects, such as the roof, remedied.”
If the HLF application is successful the museum will close in early 2016 and reopen in 2019. During the closure some objects will go on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow and there will also be an international tour.
The Burrell Collection was given to the city of Glasgow by William Burrell in 1944, with the museum opening in 1983. In November 2013, a Scottish parliamentary committee endorsed a bill to overturn a condition of the bequest that the collection should not leave the country. The bill was passed on 21 January 2014 and received royal assent the following month.