Building timeline for new museum revealed
Perth city centre businesses were given the lowdown yesterday on the major development project at the city hall, where work on the multimillion pound project to create a new museum begins in less than a week.
The first part of the work - to build an impressive museum from the vacant hall complex that will proudly place the Stone of Destiny at its centre - is set to get underway next Monday, February 15.
Perth and Kinross Council has now reached out to residents and businesses which surround the site, extending an online presentation invitation to those that will overlook the renovation activity by BAM Construction.
The presentation gave a breakdown of the work PKC is undertaking and a timeline of what will happen.
Businesses were invited to attend at 10am and residents to a second session at 5pm yesterday.
Locals were told that the conversion of city hall will be completed over two phases, the first being the main build which is expected to take 100 weeks starting from February 2021.
In the second phase, which should commence early in 2023, the museum’s interior fit out takes place.
That phase is expected to take 27 weeks and be complete by summer 2023.
Perth and Kinross Council has given no set date for an opening although it is expected to be in 2024.
As the work gets going this month the council explained that public walkways around city hall will be maintained and access to businesses and residences will be protected.
Perth and Kinross Council shared slides which showed part one beginning at the Cafe Quarter side and moving in a clockwise direction around the building’s exterior over the following months.
The build proper is set to kick off in April with six weeks of activity centring on the north section of Kirk Close, followed by a move to the south of the paved section beside St John’s Kirk.
In May the work moves round to Kirk Gate for 10 weeks with access maintained.
As the summer continues, the builders will concentrate around both ends of the rectangle, working at the end where the war memorial is sited and also at the front entrance to St John’s Kirk.
A fallow period is anticipated during this part which is set to last nearly six months to allow for archeological research to take place.
January 2022 will begin with focus on St John’s Place for eight weeks. In March 22, the opposite wall of City Hall, South St John’s Place, is where the build continues for six weeks.
After that King Edward Street will be worked on, in two bits to keep access for pedestrians, completed by July 22.
It was confirmed in December that the new museum would house the Stone of Destiny.
It will be the jewel in the crown for Perth’s new exhibition space which will allow the public to view much of the extensive, unseen collection, currently stored under Perth Museum and Art Gallery due to space constraints.