WORCESTERSHIRE County Museum at Hartlebury Castle is set to plan a major redevelopment, now next steps have been approved by the county council’s cabinet.

The museum aims to put in place a new-build Transport Gallery and refurbishment of the existing buildings, as the lease is renewed at its current site in Wychavon.

Cabinet approved plans for a redeveloped Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

This allows the Museum to continue as a popular visitor destination in the county and allows for the continued development of learning and health programmes to meet the needs of Worcestershire residents.

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member for communities at Worcestershire County Council, said: “Worcestershire County Museum is a really vital and popular resource for our residents, and this proposal allows us to build on the fantastic offer that the Museum already has, long into the future.”

This refurbishment has an estimated cost to the County Council of between £800,000 and £1 million. The County Council will be applying to the Heritage Lottery fund, aiming to lever in £4million of external funding, to help realise the vision for the site.

The Joint Museum Committee, which is made up of representatives from both Worcestershire County Council and Worcester City Council had been discussing the future and the options available for the County Museum ahead of their proposal going to Cabinet.

Other options that have been considered as part of discussions by the committee included a new County Museum within County Hall, a smaller Worcestershire County Museum at Worcester Woods and a museum closure and loss of all service.

Worcestershire County Museum is part of the Hartlebury Castle site, owned by Hartlebury Castle Preservation Trust.