PROPOSALS to add a glass entrance lobby to the Bromsgrove Museum will go before a planning committee on Monday (March 30).
If approved, as is recommended by officers, the application will see two main changes to the appearance of the building, to the south of Birmingham Road.
The most significant will be a new entrance porch which will be made of frameless glass and will join onto the side of Davenal House. Glazed folding doors will also be added to the proposed ground floor cafe.
The second change will be to add a first floor at the back of the building to house material from the Bromsgrove Guild.
The museum is mostly a two-storey building which is unlisted but does sit next to Davenal House Surgery, a grade II listed Georgian building.
The museum and tourist information centre are on the ground floor but have not been operational since 2007 and 2009 respectively, although the building does still contain the exhibits and archived artifacts.
The aim of the proposals is to re-establish the museum and enhance the site to create an area for education and to celebrate the Bromsgrove Guild.
A number of concerns have been raised including the impact of the development on car parking, the roof line affecting light going onto properties on St James Court which face the museum and the in-keeping of the proposed plans with Davenal House.
Other worries voiced were about the impact of the side entrance and first floor windows on the privacy of the consulting rooms in the neighbouring surgery.
Some also argued the development would lead to increased noise and congestion coming from more traffic, including coaches, which they feared could impact on the flow of pedestrians outside the museum on the Birmingham Road at busy times, especially on wheelchair and mobility scooter users.
However, a number of people also supported the plans, arguing the new entrance would not only improve the building visually but would help to draw visitors in.
Others also praised the sensitivity of the plans claiming the effect on Davenal House would be minimal.
Particular support was also given to enlarging the display space and to the quality of the development which is hoped to improve visitors’ experience in the town, allowing them to learn about Bromsgrove’s history.
