The proposed X-shaped museum planned for Liverpool's waterfront. © NML

Alternative funding is being sought for the new Museum of Liverpool after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) rejected a bid for £11.4million.

Director of National Museums Liverpool (NML), David Fleming, stressed that he would be looking for another way to make sure the building of the ambitious new Museum of Liverpool went ahead as planned in April 2006.

“We are hugely disappointed by this decision,” he said, “but we haven’t given up hope that we can deliver this project for Liverpool and the north west."

Carole Souter, Director of the HLF, explained the decision not to finance the development of the interior of the museum. "There were positive aspects to the application but we had some serious concerns about the overall costs and lack of detail on the displays and content within the museum," she said.

© NML

"Whilst this was a difficult decision," she continued, "funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and elsewhere has already significantly contributed to Liverpool's transformation in time for the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008."

The news does however come as a blow to Liverpool’s 2008 Capital of Culture programme, as the funding secured for the exterior construction was dependent on the £11.4m.

The NWDA and European Objective One Programme for Merseyside offered £32m and £7m respectively for the construction of the museum building, but on the condition that finances for the contents of the museum were secured.

Mr Fleming is now hoping the agencies will still release the £40m despite the setback, so building can begin in April, as planned.

© NML

"We intend to sit down with the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Department for Culture, Media & Sport and Government Office North West to discuss a way forward,” said Mr Fleming.

Planning permission was granted by Liverpool City Council in December 2005 for the building of the museum at Pier Head. The striking building, designed by Danish architects 3XN, would occupy a core position on the famous waterfront – a World Heritage Site.

“This is the culmination of over three years of hard work and lobbying,” said Mr Fleming of the successful proposal.

The new museum was to take over from the existing Museum of Liverpool Life, which has been attracting an increasing number of visitors for ten years. NML believe this popular museum is too small to house and display its huge urban history collections satisfactorily.

© NML

By building the new landmark museum Liverpool would follow in the footsteps of previous European Capitals of Culture, Graz and Cork, which both had iconic buildings built to coincide with the title.

After the Liverpool proposal was made public, the NML director called the planned museum “world-class” and “an architectural masterpiece”.

Ideas for the museum interior were submitted to the HLF in summer 2005.

Mr Fleming indicated that there would be further talks with the HLF and even a second bid. “We are still confident that we can raise the remaining funds to realise this great visitor attraction for the region,” he said.

Chiswick House. Courtesy English Heritage.

Since 1995, the HLF has given £32m to NML, much of which was spent on the World Museum Liverpool opened in April 2005. A further £1.5m is due for the National Museum and Centre for the Understanding of Transatlantic Slavery in September 2005.

The latest round of funding was instead awarded to the People’s History Museum, Manchester (£7.18m) and Chiswick House Gardens (£7.9m) – both of which will undergo major improvement projects. Project applications from Chesterfield and Swindon also missed out on the funding.