Paisley Museum redevelopment costs increase by a quarter

Renfrewshire Council has added £12.5m to its budget for the redevelopment of Paisley Museum, taking the total to more than £65m.

A council report said the project had suffered delays due to unforeseen construction issues, including defects in the historic building such as asbestos, dry rot and rooted roof joists.

The costs of addressing these problems have been “greater than anticipated”, with this challenge “compounded by other contractor issues and delays to progress on-site”.

The project was also affected by the Covid pandemic and general construction cost inflation, according to the report. It is now due to be completed in July next year, “well beyond the initial estimated completion date”.

The redevelopment, which was budgeted at £45m in 2023, is seen as a flagship project that forms part of wider investment in the town.

The work will include increasing gallery space by 26% as well as creating a public courtyard and new learning, community-making and social spaces.

In a joint statement, the council and OneRen – a charitable trust which manages culture on its behalf – said that “the transformed Paisley Museum will be a world-class visitor attraction at the heart of the region’s cultural regeneration”.

However, the team carrying out the “technically complex” work has “encountered a number of challenges, which only became apparent through progressing this major modernisation”.

“We are working alongside Keir to overcome these, but this has impacted on the project timescale and budget,” said the statement.

“Every step is being taken to mitigate the potential for increased costs and to complete work as soon as possible.”