Building for a new future
The Art Gallery & Museum’s Development Scheme: Building for a New Future has taken a significant step forward with news of the approved planning consent.
The new building, designed by architects Berman Guedes Stretton, will provide additional galleries, new open access storage / study facilities and dedicated spaces for life-long learning, education outreach services and arts development programmes. It will also create a focal point for the development of Cheltenham’s ‘Cultural Quarter’ and create a ‘new gateway’ to Cheltenham’s oldest building, medieval St. Mary’s Church.
Consultation meetings with the public, outside interest groups, local planning, Heritage & Conservation Officers, English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (South West) were held throughout the design process; and while the building’s scale, form and materials have been used to complement its 19th- and 20th-century neighbours, it is an honest expression of 21st-century design.
The ground floor of the new building provides a more prominent entrance to the Art Gallery & Museum and creates a pedestrian route through the building from the south to St Mary’s Church – whilst a roof-top terrace provides a view over the church and the surrounding conservation area. It will also include a café, shop, reception area, education facilities and tourist information, designed to draw people into the building from the street.
The Art Gallery & Museum’s Fundraising Campaign has also recently received a major boost with an offer of £500,000 from The Monument Trust (the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts). The grant brings the total raised so far to £3.8 million, adding to support already received from the Gloucestershire-based Summerfield Charitable Trust of £750,000, and an allocation of £2.5 million from Cheltenham Borough Council – including £50,000 from the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum's ongoing fundraising appeal. The second phase of the fundraising campaign will be launched from September, and we hope to secure the necessary funds to start construction by summer / autumn 2010.
Building for a new future newsletter
Building for a new future - edition 1
Building for a new future - edition 2