The Express & Echo, which gained much mileage from dissing the ethics, cost, and design of the Heavitree Arch, is now getting its knickers in a twist about the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.
Apparently the cost of refurbishing the building is ‘massively over budget’ and running six months behind schedule.
The work was set to cost £15.5m but it’s now more than £3m over budget. It will not meet its planned re-opening date of spring next year.
How could this state of affairs possibly have been allowed to happen?! Head’s will roll! Who is responsible?!
Well, it turns out that there are defects in the old building’s foundations — laid on a 1,000-year-old Norman ditch which is deeper than first thought. Ya dig?
A city council spokesman wearily explained to the paper: “With the building slowly sinking for over 100 years, there are also consequent problems with the roof and walls, which have had to be supported and in some cases rebuilt.
“With our consultant design team and contractor, we’ve been working to solve this problem since last winter and have resolved most of the issues, but this has left the project several months behind.”
Sounds to us like the museum will certainly be worth the extra effort. It promises new display galleries and exhibitions, modern amenities (gotta love those modern amenities!), and a new entrance from the gardens at the back of the building.
And we’re sure that, come next year, the E&E will declare the museum the best thing since bee’s knees. Eyes will roll.
Maybe the foundations could become an exhibit. What would you exhibit in the revamped Exeter RAMM?
