Glasgow City Council will meet tomorrow to consider proposals for a 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 council has also been asked to invest £5m 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.
A meeting tomorrow of the council’s executive committee will consider the proposals, but in a statement it said that further funding decisions will rest on the success of the HLF application, which is expected to be announced in May.
If both funding packages are secured, it is anticipated that the museum will close in early 2016 and reopen in 2019.
“If funding is approved, the plans will see the Category A-listed building retain its impressive architectural footprint and facade in Pollok Country Park, but after the refurbishment, a major overhaul of the roof, building fabric, interior and ageing plant, will create an entirely new experience for visitors,” the council said in a statement.
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 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 council has also been asked to invest £5m 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.
A meeting tomorrow of the council’s executive committee will consider the proposals, but in a statement it said that further funding decisions will rest on the success of the HLF application, which is expected to be announced in May.
If both funding packages are secured, it is anticipated that the museum will close in early 2016 and reopen in 2019.
“If funding is approved, the plans will see the Category A-listed building retain its impressive architectural footprint and facade in Pollok Country Park, but after the refurbishment, a major overhaul of the roof, building fabric, interior and ageing plant, will create an entirely new experience for visitors,” the council said in a statement.
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.
