SOME staff at Poole Museum are set to be made redundant following the extended closure of the facility for a major redevelopment project.

While several BCP Council employees will be working on the Poole Museum ‘on the move’ project, which will take exhibits into the community during the closure, the local authority has started consulting over other roles.

As reported, the museum in Lower High Street, Old Town, is due to undergo a multi-million-pound transformation and it will be closed until towards the end of 2024.

Responding to questions from the Daily Echo over redundancies, Chris Saunders, BCP Council’s service director for destination and culture, said: “We are consulting with the affected staff and have made plans for several employees to take Poole Museum ‘on the move’, bringing our collections and stories out into the community during the closure period.

“A small number of positions are likely to be made redundant and we understand this will be a challenging time for those concerned.

“We are actively seeking redeployment opportunities elsewhere in the council and will be supporting them throughout any transition.”

The museum works will see the three historic buildings, Grade II listed Oakley’s Mill, and the Grade I listed medieval Wool Hall and Scaplen’s Court, restored and conserved while urgent repairs and maintenance are carried out.

New spaces will be opened up to the public for the first time, including Scaplen’s Court and Garden which will be open to the public year-round as part of a visit to Poole Museum.

Mr Saunders said: “The redevelopment of Poole Museum will transform the museum and provide extensive new and updated community facilities, with three new galleries showcasing Poole Museum’s maritime collections, new spaces opened up to the public for the very first time, as well as urgent restoration and maintenance works on the museum’s three historic buildings.

“This will enable better access for all and create a vibrant programme of creative, cultural activity for the local community and visitors, as well as new educational workshops developed with local schools and teachers.”

Poole Museum’s galleries closed to the public on December 31, 2022. The tourist information centre and museum shop will remain open in the front atrium of the museum until March 31.