Leicester's New Walk Museum set for new café, shop and galleries

Leicester Museum and Art Gallery looks set for a new café as part of an ongoing programme of improvements at the venue. The coffee shop would be located at the front of the New Walk attraction if approved, making it more accessible not just for those visiting the museum but those passing by as well, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said.

The museum, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, did previously have a café, but this was located at the back of the building and closed some years ago. The old cafe space could become a new attraction, showcasing the “Story of Leicester”, council documents show.

Leicester City Council, which runs the venue, said it was also looking to create new art gallery displays, and a new shop and reception area, in this latest round of improvements. “Essential maintenance work” will also be carried out, including roof repairs, council documents show.

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A planning application for the changes is expected to be submitted shortly, with work expected to start in November. The council said it hoped the new art gallery spaces and café would open to the public a year later, with the reception and shop following in 2026.

An additional phase of work is also proposed, but that would be subject to grant funding, the documents add. If the required funding is received, new galleries covering “social history” and “the environment” would be created, improvements would be made to the museum’s learning spaces and the first floor would be expanded. The funding bid is expected to be submitted in August.

However, some on the council have raised concerns about the cost of the scheme at a time when the council is facing the risk of bankruptcy. Opposition councillors Nigel Porter, Patrick Kitterick, Hemant Rae Bhatia, Scott Kennedy-Lount, Shital Adatia and Abdul Osman have “called in” the plan so it can be scrutinised.

They said in a joint statement: “Despite the council being in a truly diabolical financial state, the Labour leadership still appears determined to waste millions of pounds of taxpayers' cash on ill-conceived vanity projects. Most sensible people would agree with us when we say that a new council café is not a priority, especially as the council is on the brink of bankruptcy and cannot even afford to support the adventure playgrounds or SEND transport.

“The Labour council must stop wasting public money on unnecessary projects like this proposed new café. There was a perfectly good café at the museum but the council shut it down. Before a penny is spent, this £3.6 million proposal must undergo proper consultation and scrutiny. "

The council has earmarked £3.62 million for the project. It will be funded from the council’s capital fund – money set aside for projects and infrastructure – rather than its revenue fund which pays for day-to-day services and the running of the council. It is the council’s revenue funding that is currently under strain.

In response to the councillors' objection, Sir Peter told LeicestershireLive he was “really very puzzled” by the opposition to the plan. He said: “We have an ongoing programme of investing in our flagship museum over a number of years, and this is just only the latest, small step in continuing with its improvement and investment.

“We've got a long-term commitment to this wonderful gem that is visited by over a quarter million people a year.”

When asked why the council took the decision to shut the old café, he said: “The space in the museum is constantly under review. The café area [was] stuck at the back behind the shop.

“That space is going to be used differently and the café brought to the front so it's readily accessible by people, not just those who are going to use the museum, but also those who are passing up and down New Walk. Bringing new people into the museum, initially just for a cup of coffee and a scone, is a wonderful way to introduce them to the treasures that lie within.”

He added: “I'm really very, very puzzled that anybody has picked up on this, because nobody ever [said to him they] felt the museum was anything other than meriting continuous investment. It's a stunning museum, and it really is an absolute gem. Nobody has, in decades, ever objected to us continuing to invest in it.”