Potteries Museum & Art Gallery set to be “re-imagined” in new refurbishment
Plans to refurbish the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery have been approved - with work on the creation of a new main entrance and changes to the internal floor layout set to be complete in 2026.
A new full-height glazed frontage with a relocated entrance and cafe is set for the museum along with the creation of an external terrace and a range of internal changes to provide an open, "invitational access" to the museum.
The current "moat" around the front of the building will be concealed by the new terrace, which will provide outdoor cafe seating along with a new access ramp and steps to the front of the museum.
In addition, a new servery, reception desk, reading room, archive storage, office and other staff areas will be created. An artist in residence space will also "provide a flexible work-space with an adjacent kiln room".
In March 2023 Stoke-on-Trent City Council was awarded £5m by the Arts Council's Cultural Development Fund to deliver the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (PMAG) Re-Imagined project. The project received final approval from Stoke-on-Trent's cabinet in June 2023, and is "progressing to complete construction in 2026".
Originally built in 1956, PMAG was the first large new museum built in the UK since WW2, to bring together artefacts from the six Potteries towns into a single museum collection.
The building was redeveloped in the late 1970s and early 1980s and has since had various adaptations undertaken, most recently with the development of the new Spitfire Gallery Extension, which opened in 2021.
The officer's report approving the plans adds: "Internal works propose the reconfiguration of the internal floor layout, through removal of various wall/partitions (and creation of new doors/openings).
"More significant internal changes relate to the entrance area, with plans showing the relocation of the building's main visitor entrance to a new corner position, as well as the relocation of the museum's cafe within this main entrance area.
"Proposed external alterations to the building involve the creation of a new main entrance feature at the corner of Bethesda Street and Broad Street.
"A new full-height glazed frontage is proposed for the Bethesda Street elevation, along with the creation an external cafe terrace (supported by a steel frame structure).
"Additional external changes to the building include installation of new windows and PMAG signage on the Broad Street elevation (both at ground floor level) and new access doors at lower basement level (front and rear elevations).
"As part of the relocated main entrance, proposals also include extensive public realm works 3 which seek to provide an "invitational access" to the museum.
"External works have been designed to remove the current 'moat' i.e. a lower basement void which currently provides a location for anti-social behaviour.
"The 'moat' will be concealed by the new cafe terrace providing outdoor seating to the front of the museum, at Bethesda Street.
"Proposals include the creation of a new stepped access from Broad Street, which incorporates raised planting beds with soft landscaping and public seating, as well as a new entrance ramp from Bethesda Street; both of which provide pedestrian access to new main entrance and have been designed to integrate with the existing city centre public realm.
"Soft landscaping, comprising grass and tree planting, is shown along Bethesda Street, Broad Street and Warner Street."
It adds: "Officers view is that the application proposal would result in significant benefits to the City Centre, by enhancing and strengthening the cultural offer provided at PMAG.
"The application will enable upgraded museum facilities and create a better connection with the City Centre through a relocated entrance, and associated public realm works. Proposals have been assessed against relevant planning policies at all levels, principally those relating to heritage and design.
"The scheme is considered to represent sustainable development and would provide a high quality design in a prominent City Centre location. Accordingly, the application is recommended for approval, subject to conditions."
Read the full application here.
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