Museum defends renovation plans

The Ulster Museum is closed for major development

The Ulster Museum has defended its controversial renovation plans before a committee of Belfast City Council.

A group of architects has objected strongly to the design and has now drawn up its own alternative plans.

The museum has been closed to the public for the past seven months.

Both sides argued their case before the council's planning committee. Despite the delay the museum said it would be open in two years' time as planned.

The planning application was submitted to the Planning Service last May and has been given its consent.

However, it still has not been formally approved by the council.

The museum's John Gilmour said: "We are still on time, we propose to reopen in the spring/early summer of 2009, we had a project meeting yesterday and we are still on target to do that."

The council planning committee can reject the museum's plans, but it has no power to overrule the Planning Service.