Food Museum to bid for £1.5m towards redevelopment

The Food Museum in Stowmarket wants to increase visitor numbers by nearly a third to 100,000 by 2030

A proposal to invest £1.5m in redeveloping a Suffolk museum is to be considered by councillors.

The Food Museum in Stowmarket wants to increase visitor annual numbers by about a third to 100,000 a year by 2030.

Mid Suffolk District Council is being asked for the sum as part of the museum's next phase of its Branching Out project.

Green councillor Tim Weller, cabinet member for Environment, Culture and Wellbeing, said the investment would be "the catalyst for the next phase of the Food Museum's impressive transformation".

He added: "It would mean the museum can deliver further improvements to the site and attract more visitors, while also enabling its commercial activities to support the delivery of its educational mission and community work."

Preferred option

The full cost of the project is estimated at £5.67m, with £3.95m in match funding sought from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Mid Suffolk has been asked to contribute £1m in grant funding, as well as £533,000 in the form of a loan, should the museum fail to fundraise enough.

The council's report says approving the funding is the preferred option to avoid any delays and increase in cost.

Restoration of The Barn, Stowmarket's oldest-surviving building, along with the refurbishment of The Factory and The House are among the tasks planned.

The museum wants official approval to start the work by September, with a view to completion by the end of March 2027.

During the meeting, cabinet members will be asked to endorse a further £100,000 investment to build accessibility features, including a disabled toilet, automated doors and a lift to the first floor of the refurbished Factory.

The council will discuss the proposed investment on 8 July.

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