Agenda item

The Director of Tourism, Culture, and Inward Investment submits a presentation on the redevelopment project for Leicester Museum and Art Gallery.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment submitted a presentation on the redevelopment project for Leicester Museum and Art Gallery. The Deputy City Mayor introduced the presentation, which explained what changes and investment needed to be made. During its delivery, the following points were highlighted:

·         Concerns from residents had been responded to.

·         Investment had been made in some of the galleries, but some areas still needed investment, for example, wild space gallery.

·         The café was unable to open at different times to the museum. The café could have a separate access and be open at different times to the museum to generate further income.

·         The Leicester Stories gallery would be put in Gallery, currently a back of office space, to maximise use for public benefit. There was funding from the Arts Council to fund the development.

·         The current wild space area was no longer fit for purpose and could be better interpreted.

·         A gallery of star exhibits could go into a new gallery near to the entrance.

·         Designs were being worked on for Areas 1 and 2. Funding needed to be identified to move forward.

·         Staff would be located to new offices on the 1^st floor. An old conservation area studio has been cleared.

·         The ambition was to raise visitor attendance to 300k per annum (currently at 220-230k pre-Covid).

In response to members questions the following information was noted:

·         The Capital Projects Team were currently working on the costs involved. The authority would be looking for external funding, for example, Arts Council England were due to shortly release a MEND fund, used for vital infrastructure repairs for museum buildings.

·         External funding would also be sought to create new galleries, as previously gained to create the new ancient Egypt gallery (£200k).

·         There were no plans to expand the current car park, and people would be encouraged to walk, cycle, or use public transport as part of the Council’s public transport strategy.

·         One of the key aims was to enhance the architecture of the museum, therefore any designs for the new entrance would be sympathetic in consultation with the Conservation Team.

·         Any planned events would be consulted on with local residents and to hear their concerns.

·         There was interest in the proposals for changes to the front of the building and the requirement for changes to have listed building consents.

·         In terms of the design for what might or might not be for the conservatory had not yet been explored. The architect that would work on the design had experience in working with listed buildings, and when images were available, they would be provided to Members of the Commission. It was further noted that an option might be to stick to the parameters of the building with no external changes.

·         There was an advantage for the café and potential shop operation to be independent from the museum.

·         The focus on the new social history gallery would be on post-war and modern Leicester, and there would be no conflict with Newarke Museum which tended to focus on older periods.

·         It was difficult to compare attendance figures with similar sized museums in the region. When comparing visitor numbers pre-Covid in the East Midlands, including those for events arranged by external organisations, Leicester Museum and Art Gallery compared well.

The Chair thanked the officers for the report and said it would be an improvement to the building. In agreement with Members of the Commission present, recommendations were made.

AGREED:

That:

1.    The Commission supported the exciting plans to improve the facilities and museum building and recommended that Members be kept informed of any major changes in the plans, the timescales, and the budget for the works being carried out on the project.

2.    The Commission recommended that the agenda item remained on the Commission’s Work Programme, and a progress report be brought to a future meeting.

3.    A visit be arranged for Commission Members, once the work had been completed.