The Tate has begun the process of obtaining planning permission and funding for its recently unveiled designs for a £165m extension to the Tate Modern in London.
The designs have been created by Herzog and de Meuron, the architects that originally converted the Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern. The scheme will be submitted to the London Borough of Southwark for planning permission this month.
Obtaining planning consent should be the easy part of the project, because the local authority is supportive. The leader of Southwark council, Nick Stanton, was at the press conference when the designs were unveiled and the borough is hoping the extension will help the wider regeneration of the area, including its £1.5bn plans to redevelop Elephant and Castle. The Greater London Authority will also be involved in the planning process because of the size of the scheme. The Tate hopes to gain planning consent in spring 2007.
One organisation that has already voiced objections to the scheme is the Twentieth Century Society, which is concerned about the size of the extension. The society, which aims to safeguard the heritage of UK architecture from 1914 onwards, said in a statement: 'What is proposed now would threaten the sculptural simplicity of Giles Gilbert Scott's masterpiece. A large and bulky building, which would tower behind the brick building, would upset the powerful symmetry and visually tip the building westwards. The society believes that an extension can be done, but that the present scheme needs to be scaled down.'
But Nicholas Serota, the director of the Tate, said the proposed extension was 'an extraordinary building in glass that will dramatically transform' the Tate Modern and was the 'kind of cultural building that London deserves'.
Raising the money to fund the extension could be more difficult than getting planning consent. On the plus side, the Tate is the UK's most recognisable arts brand and has successfully developed major capital projects before. But the Tate will have to operate in a climate where public money for arts capital projects is tight, with the Olympics due to receive £410m of lottery money from 2009 to 2012.
Nevertheless, Serota believes the money can be found. 'We are confident we can raise the money, we have done it before and, if we can raise it, we should be able to open by 2012 [in time for the London Olympics].'
The Tate was immediately given a boost after the unveiling of the designs, with the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, announcing that the London Development Agency would contribute £7m towards the project.
Money for the original Tate Modern, which opened in 2000, was raised from a variety of sources. These included £50m from the Millennium Commission, £12m from English Partnerships and £6.2m from Arts Council England. The London Borough of Southwark was also an investor, although a council spokeswoman said it had not been asked to contribute this time.
Another organisation interested in the Tate Modern extension is the Design Museum, which is considering making a £50m relocation to the site from its current home further east along the river at Shad Thames. Serota said the discussions were still at an early stage although if the Design Museum did use the site, it would be housed in a separate building. A spokeswoman for the Design Museum said an announcement was expected next year.
Simon Stephens
The designs have been created by Herzog and de Meuron, the architects that originally converted the Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern. The scheme will be submitted to the London Borough of Southwark for planning permission this month.
Obtaining planning consent should be the easy part of the project, because the local authority is supportive. The leader of Southwark council, Nick Stanton, was at the press conference when the designs were unveiled and the borough is hoping the extension will help the wider regeneration of the area, including its £1.5bn plans to redevelop Elephant and Castle. The Greater London Authority will also be involved in the planning process because of the size of the scheme. The Tate hopes to gain planning consent in spring 2007.
One organisation that has already voiced objections to the scheme is the Twentieth Century Society, which is concerned about the size of the extension. The society, which aims to safeguard the heritage of UK architecture from 1914 onwards, said in a statement: 'What is proposed now would threaten the sculptural simplicity of Giles Gilbert Scott's masterpiece. A large and bulky building, which would tower behind the brick building, would upset the powerful symmetry and visually tip the building westwards. The society believes that an extension can be done, but that the present scheme needs to be scaled down.'
But Nicholas Serota, the director of the Tate, said the proposed extension was 'an extraordinary building in glass that will dramatically transform' the Tate Modern and was the 'kind of cultural building that London deserves'.
Raising the money to fund the extension could be more difficult than getting planning consent. On the plus side, the Tate is the UK's most recognisable arts brand and has successfully developed major capital projects before. But the Tate will have to operate in a climate where public money for arts capital projects is tight, with the Olympics due to receive £410m of lottery money from 2009 to 2012.
Nevertheless, Serota believes the money can be found. 'We are confident we can raise the money, we have done it before and, if we can raise it, we should be able to open by 2012 [in time for the London Olympics].'
The Tate was immediately given a boost after the unveiling of the designs, with the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, announcing that the London Development Agency would contribute £7m towards the project.
Money for the original Tate Modern, which opened in 2000, was raised from a variety of sources. These included £50m from the Millennium Commission, £12m from English Partnerships and £6.2m from Arts Council England. The London Borough of Southwark was also an investor, although a council spokeswoman said it had not been asked to contribute this time.
Another organisation interested in the Tate Modern extension is the Design Museum, which is considering making a £50m relocation to the site from its current home further east along the river at Shad Thames. Serota said the discussions were still at an early stage although if the Design Museum did use the site, it would be housed in a separate building. A spokeswoman for the Design Museum said an announcement was expected next year.
Simon Stephens
