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Migration Museum loses a floor at Crutched Friars to 33 more student rooms
City of London Corporation members approved two floors for the museum instead of three in a 21-storey block offered to it rent-free for 60 years.
Key facts
- The Migration Museum gets two floors at 65 Crutched Friars, down from the three approved in 2023
- The revised plans add 33 student rooms on level two, for 815 in total
- Developer Dominus offered the museum the space rent-free for 60 years
- All but two of the 15 Corporation members present voted in favour
The Migration Museum will have two floors rather than three in a 21-storey block planned for 65 Crutched Friars, after City of London Corporation members signed off revised plans on Wednesday.
The museum loses a third of the space it was first promised. The floor it gives up will hold 33 extra student rooms on level two, which takes the building’s total to 815.
What the 65 Crutched Friars scheme gives the museum
Developer Dominus offered the museum a permanent home in the scheme, with no rent to pay for 60 years. When the plans were first approved in 2023, the museum was allocated three floors.
Migration is the museum’s subject, and in particular the part that people arriving in Britain and leaving it have played in shaping the nation. It was founded in 2011 and has never had a fixed address since then. Instead it has moved from one temporary site to the next. Laurie Boult, its chief executive, said Wednesday’s decision gave the museum “certainty” that the project could go ahead.
Charles Gurassa, who chairs the museum’s board of trustees, said the new home would still be about 40% bigger than its last temporary site, even after the reduction.
How the City of London Corporation voted
Corporation officers recommended that members approve the changes. In their assessment, the museum would still be a major cultural space open to the public. Some members questioned the revised plans during the meeting. When it came to the vote, all but two of the 15 members present backed the application.
Jay Ahluwalia, principal director at Dominus, said the developer and the museum had collaborated on the changes.
Key questions
Where will the Migration Museum's permanent home be?
In a new 21-storey block at 65 Crutched Friars, in the City, being built by developer Dominus.
Why has the Migration Museum's space been cut?
The revised plans take one floor from the museum and use it for 33 extra student rooms on level two.
How much space will the Migration Museum have?
Two floors, a third less than first agreed. The chair of its trustees said this is still about 40% more than its last temporary home.
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