Update on new Museum and Gallery
The project to create a new Museum and Art Gallery in St Albans is on schedule and an extra £319,000 of improvements are to be made.
The Town Hall in the centre of the City is being transformed into a £7.75 million Museum and Gallery and is set to become a major visitor attraction.
St Albans City and District Council is delivering the scheme with £1.7 million of the cost to come from fundraising. So far, almost £1.3 million has been donated.
During building work, a number of enhancements to the original plans have been identified. These include a £50,000 underfloor heating system and £35,000 of secondary glazing in the Assembly Room.
A further £80,000 will be invested in security measures that will enable the museum to display exhibits of national importance.
Around £50,000 will be spent on a high-quality finish to the Edwardian courtroom’s wood panelling to restore it to its former glory.
Feature lighting will also be installed in the courtroom to further improve its appearance as well as to the glazed walkways and main staircase.
An update on progress was given to a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on Thursday 21 September.
Councillors were told the project is on schedule with the museum due to open in the middle of next year.
The additional enhancements will be funded in part from reallocations within the project’s original budget. In addition, £181,000 is to come from other existing Council budgets.
Just over £400,000 of the fundraising target has yet to be met with details of sponsorship opportunities available from the St Albans Museums and Galleries Trust: bit.ly/2hklF4M
Cabinet agreed to both the extra investment and the funding proposals.
Councillor Julian Daly, the Council’s Portfolio Holder (PH) for Commercial and Development, said: “This is a large-scale and highly ambitious project. At this stage in construction we have an opportunity to deliver additional enhancements within existing budgets.
“The money will go towards improvements to the original designs. We want the very best for St Albans and this will help us we get that.”
Councillor Annie Brewster, PH for Sport and Culture, said: “Our mission is to create a truly fantastic Museum and Art Gallery that will be a major visitor attraction and will greatly improve the District’s cultural life.
“We are well on the way to doing that and these additional investments in the building will ensure the finish is of the highest quality.”
Councillors contact:
Cllr Julian Daly, Portfolio Holder for Commercial and Development for St Albans City and District Council.
Mob: 07775 657200
Email: cllr.j.daly@stalbans.gov.uk
Cllr Annie Brewster, Portfolio Holder for Sport, Leisure and Heritage for St Albans City and District Council. Email: cllr.a.brewster@stalbans.gov.uk; Tel: 01438 832255
Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City & District Council, Tel: 01727 296130, E-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk