MK Gallery Expansion Approved
MK Gallery expansion: indicative view of auditorium window. Courtesy 6a architects.
Exciting plans to expand Milton Keynes Gallery were unanimously approved at a meeting of Milton Keynes Council’s planning committee last night.
The new three-story extension will house new gallery and events spaces, education facilities and a cafe overlooking Midsummer Boulevard. Chief among the new additions is a 300-capacity auditorium, capable of hosting dramatic performances, music and sound installations.
“We are thrilled to receive planning consent,” said Gallery director Anthony Spira. “The unanimous support of the application is an endorsement of the detailed design work undertaken over the past three years. We now look forward to getting underway with the build, seeing this world-class gallery come to fruition, and welcoming larger audiences from 2017.”
The expanded gallery will form an important part of Milton Keynes’ bid for the European Capital of Culture in 2023. For a long time, it has been one of CMK’s hidden gems, but the newly approved plans will make it far more visible, enhancing the city’s growing cultural offering.
