A planning application has been submitted for the £18m transformation of Hereford’s Grade II museum and library building.
The project, part of Hereford’s town investment plan, is hoped to see the museum enhance the city’s cultural offer.
The redevelopment project will see new galleries, display spaces and temporary exhibition spaces added, allowing it to display more of the county’s collections. A viewing beacon and roof terrace are planned, which will provide 360 degree views over the city and surrounding Herefordshire landscape.
Its collections include the ‘Herefordshire Hoard’, which was recently-acquired following a a major campaign. The hoard is a collection of Anglo-Saxon and Viking age objects buried around 878, and rediscovered locally in 2015.
Due to open in 2025, the completed project includes the restoration of the historic Woolhope club room as well as new commercial areas, including a shop, café and an events and education space.
The development is being made possible with £5 million secured from the government’s Towns Fund and £8 million in council funding. Herefordshire Council, which runs the museum. has also applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the development.
Both the planning decision and Heritage Fund decision are expected to take months to conclude, the council said.
Damian Etheraads, Museum and Art Gallery Lead at Herefordshire Council called the planning application “a great milestone in a hugely exciting project for Herefordshire”.
