A MUSEUM has submitted an application to make amendments to approved redevelopments.

Poole Museum closed for renovations in January, which are expected to take around two years to complete.

It has tabled plans to amend the works to the fourth floor of the Oakley’s Mill building at the museum, taking out the proposed lobby area, to create more exhibition space.

In a design, access and heritage statement lodged with BCP Council, the applicant said the changes would ‘improve the gallery space and increase its display area.’

As well as removing the lobby, there are changes to the angles of the stud walls in the gallery.

The statement said: “The lining of the walls now extends across the whole wall and covers the windows, in order to maximise the amount of display space available in the gallery area.

“The windows and shutters are left intact behind the lining, which could be removed in the future. This change also does not have an impact on the existing historic fabric.”

Integral to the original plans was accessibility.

In the new application, an historic beam will be trimmed to increase head height with the installation of a new ramp after the removal of a non-compliant one.

Different options on how to do this were discussed to have the least impact on the historic building, with 160mm to be cut from the bottom of the beam and new timber added to strengthen it.

The initial plans for the museum were given listed building consent in November 2021, before the museum closed for the multi-million-pound works in January.

It has three historic buildings, the Grade II listed Oakley’s Mill, the Grade I listed medieval Wood Hall, and Scaplen’s Court.

All three buildings will be restored and conserved, while urgent repairs and maintenance are carried out.

The work will open up new areas of the museum to the public for the first time, including Scaplen’s Court and Garden, which will be open all year.

Initial costs were anticipated to be around £7.7million, with grants from the National Lottery and Historic England.

In May 2022, an additional £1.4m was added to the budget, due to rising costs.

The plans were registered in October, with no date set for a decision.