Southampton City Council leaders have approved the creation of a cultural quarter in the city, but £10m still needs to be raised towards the centrepiece Sea City Museum, due to open in early 2012.
The funding black hole follows the council’s decision earlier this year to abandon controversial plans to sell two works from its collection to help finance the project. More than 2,000 people signed a Southampton Save Our Collections Group petition against the proposed sale of works by Auguste Rodin
and Sir Alfred Munnings.
A council spokeswoman said £4.9m had been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund and ways to raise the remaining £10m were being explored. “We are looking at how to raise the money, which could include fundraising, working with partners and land or building sales. It is a scoping-out exercise.”
The £15m Sea City Museum will house two permanent displays and a special exhibitions gallery. The council has also been awarded £7.2m by Arts Council England towards an arts complex in the cultural quarter.