The firm which will design Hereford’s new £18-million museum and art gallery has been named.

Herefordshire Council, which is overseeing the project, says Cheshire-based Mather & Co “has extensive experience in museum and visitor attractions”, and work with it “to create an engaging and innovative visitor experience”.

The redeveloped grade II-listed library and museum building in Broad Street will get new exhibition spaces, better visitor facilities, improved accessibility, and a new rooftop café and viewing area.

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Mather & Co has nearly 30 years’ experience in designing cultural attractions including the R&A World Golf Museum in St Andrews, the Silverstone Museum at the Northamptonshire racetrack, and the Olympic Museum in Switzerland.

The council’s cabinet member for community services and assets Coun Harry Bramer said Mather & Co’s “exceptional track record in designing immersive and thought-provoking museums will help us create a truly unique and captivating experience for our visitors”.

“Together, we look forward to crafting a space that celebrates Herefordshire’s heritage, arts and culture and inspire generations to come,” he said.

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Explaining the approach the firm will now take, content manager Leanne Clydesdale said: “The unique heritage and history of the region will be brought out through a closer co-development with audiences, working with stories and collections to create a strong sense of pride and ownership.”

The largest and most ambitious of the 15 Stornger Hereford projects, the Broad Street work is part-funded by the government’s Stronger Towns package and by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The project aims to achieve certification for its energy efficiency, the first such building retrofit scheme to do so.

The council submitted a planning application to itself for the major parts of the redevelopment work over a year ago, but this has still not been decided on.