One of the UK's greatest cities is getting a 54 million new museum

"Scheduled to reopen in 2030 at the Old Post Office on New Bond Street, the project was previously costed up at £37m. Now, Bath and North East Somerset Council councillor Mark Elliot has explained why that figure looks to have risen to £54m. Speaking at a meeting of the council cabinet last week (on March 12), Elliot said that £8m of the overall cost came from the purchase of the Post Office building, which was funded through the disposal of surplus assets."

"He added that a further £7m came from 'improvements to the public realm outside and around the new museum'. There are plans for a pedestrianised public square in front of St. Michael's Church, replete with outdoor seating from the new museum café. We have a strong grip on the project,' he insisted. 'The costs are not over-running, and we have solid, well planned funding routes for the whole project.'"

"The proposals do sound impressive. There are to be two permanent spaces on the second and third floors of the building, plus a space for temporary exhibitions. A 100-page planning application was submitted to the council in January, with a decision pencilled in for April. Construction work is expected to begin next year."

Bath's Fashion Museum is undergoing a major relocation and expansion project with a total cost of £54m, up from the original £37m estimate. The museum will move from the Assembly Rooms, where it has been housed since 1963, to the Old Post Office on New Bond Street, with reopening scheduled for 2030. The cost increase includes £8m for purchasing the Post Office building through asset disposal and £7m for public realm improvements, including a pedestrianised square with outdoor seating. The new facility will feature permanent exhibition spaces on the second and third floors plus temporary exhibition areas. A 100-page planning application was submitted in January, with a council decision expected in April and construction beginning next year.

Read at Time Out London