MEMBERS of the Lakeland Arts Trust have made assurances that the building site around the Windermere Jetty Museum will look 'much better' within a year.

Speaking at the Windermere Town Council meeting, Gordon Watson and Meredith Greiling gave updates on the work that was being carried out at the site.

Ms Greiling (curator) gave reassurances that, by October 2018, the site will be visually improved and the temporary shed which houses the collection will be taken down as the building is filled with the exhibits.

The LDNPA's Development Control Committee granted the Lakeland Arts Trust permission to extend the renovation process of the site, formerly the Steamboat Museum, so that it would not be fully landscaped until 2021.

This angered residents of the area, who had already put up with the poor visual impact of the mounds of earth and rubble for three years.

However the committee found that it was necessary, as the arts trust did not have the funds to complete the museum by 2020, as they had originally promised.

The arts trust told the councillors that the plan was for the museum building to open by October 2018, with the landscaping still to be completed.

The new Museum will have the boats and conservation workshop, exhibition spaces, showing the link with local history and displaying parts and unrestored boats to demonstrate the conservation challenges.

There will also be an area for temporary exhibitions, a wet dock, learning centre and cafe and shop.

Councillors aired concerns of local residents who have had to live with the ugliness of the site throughout the project and are keen to see the landscaping completed and sought reassurance about the financial situation and asked for detail about the current level of shortfall.

This is currently £1.5m.

There were questions as to what will happen if the shortfall is not closed and what parts of the development will not get done.

It was explained that there is confidence that the additional funds will be raised, but, if any plans were to be changed, this would be a matter for the Trust’s directors and they are not at that stage.