The Museum of London announced the submission of a planning application to the City of London Corporation.
image: Museum of London website
Experience UK writes:
The museum will have space below and above the ground and will contain learning, exhibitions and events space. It will offer a diverse range of activities to attract a broad category of visitors and redefine what a museum means in a traditional sense.
The plan is devised by the architectural team of Julian Harrap architects, namely Stanton Williams and Asif Khan. The new museum is to become one of the top attractions in the city with the expected number of visitors being two million per year.
The submission of the plans for the new museum was formally made to the City of London in 2015. The application is going to be assessed before the Planning and transportation committee decides on the approval of the plan later in 2020.
96% of Londoners are in favour of these new plans for moving the Museum of London to the West Smithfield. If consent is granted for the proposals, it would become the highlight of the cultural mile of the city of London.
Director of the Museum of London, Sharon Ament stated, “This is an important milestone for the project, as we formally set out our plans to transform the West Smithfield site and in doing so transform the idea of what a museum can be. It has been four years of hard work by a dedicated and talented project team to get here and, while we still have a while to go and money to raise before we open the doors to the new Museum, this is nevertheless a significant step forward to turning our vision into reality”.
The City of London has invested £197 million into the project and an additional £5 million were approved by the Court of Common Council last year. Moreover, the museum has proceeded with its fundraising efforts acquiring £28million to date.
The plan covers the poultry market, general market and array of buildings, The Annexe, which consists of a Reading house, Fish Market and Engine house. The market buildings have been empty and decrepit for over 30 years. The domed structure is located between Farringdon Street and Poultry Avenue and the Elizabeth tube line will run from the Farringdon station giving easy access to the visitors.
The purpose of this plan is to tell the extraordinary story of the history of London and engage visitors with the city and its historic era by displaying many artefacts and exhibitions.
The current location of the Museum of London will be refurbished into a centre for music and going to be a joint project of Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, housing performance, rehearsal, and education.
View the plans at Museum of London
