Perth and Kinross Council has announced a £10m investment in Perth Museum and Art Gallery, which will result in a major overhaul to the building and the creation of a new collection store in the city.  The revamp will deliver modern facilities on par with the National Museum of Scotland and other recent major refurbishments.

The local authority has appointed BAM Construction to carry out the work on the museum with the overall design of the project led by architectural firm Hoskins.

Perth is currently bidding to become UK City of Culture 2021 and the museum renovation is intended to support the city of Perth’s future development. The project is anticipated to increase the cultural offerings of the city, improve the quality of life for residents and attract greater numbers of visitors.

Council Leader Ian Miller said: “The development at the Museum and Art Gallery is fantastic. The museum will be refurbished to make it more modern and accessible and it will have updated facilities with more display space. I think it will deliver tangible benefits for the people of Perth and I hope it encourages many more people in Perth and Kinross, and wider afield, to visit one of our best cultural assets.”

BAM Regional Director, Bruce Dickson added: “We were absolutely delighted to be selected as the contractor for this project by East Central Hub and Perth and Kinross Council.

 “We have a long track record on heritage and cultural projects and Perth Museum and Art Gallery provides a great opportunity to continue our work in this sector. It is particularly encouraging to be invited to get involved right at the outset of the project which allows the whole team to engage productively with the single aim of designing and delivering an exceptional end result for our clients from day one.”

We were absolutely delighted to be selected as the contractor for this project by East Central Hub and Perth and Kinross Council."

“This is the first of many important milestones in an exciting journey which will dramatically transform our cultural landscape, not just in the city centre but throughout Perth and Kinross. The multi-million pound transformation of Perth Museum and Art Gallery will create the modern museum experience expected by the general public, allow Culture Perth and Kinross to showcase a much larger portion of Perth’s incredible collections, and attract more big name touring exhibitions.”

Helen Smout

Chief Executive of Culture Perth and Kinross

Perth Museum and Art Gallery will close to the public in late 2018 - early 2019, however planning is still at an early stage so exact times are yet unknown. Some services will start being reduced between now and the closure date.

This will allow staff and volunteers to focus on preparing the collections for the move, however exhibitions, events and learning programmes will all continue as planned.

Before the museum closes, all items must be wrapped and transferred into the new collections store.

The museum will stage a ‘review and more’ exhibition on from 14 February showing some of the objects that are being moved, beginning with costumes, and how they are packed and stored.

HUB East Central Scotland are the procurement group involved with the project.

Gary Bushnell, Chief Executive, hub East Central Scotland, said: “We are working closely with all stakeholders involved in the project and look forward to managing it to successful completion, creating a unique new home for the museum and gallery.”

BAM Construction recently completed the Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, and delivered the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.  The company is currently building the V & A Museum of Design in Dundee.