Key facts
- The Migration Museum will operate over two floors instead of three in a new 21-storey block.
- The revised plans reduce the museum's space to accommodate an additional 33 student rooms.
- The museum was offered a permanent rent-free home for 60 years at 65 Crutched Friars by developer Dominus.
- In plans approved in 2023, the museum was given three floors.
- The new site will offer about 40% more space than the museum's previous temporary home.
London's Migration Museum will occupy less space in its new permanent home than initially planned, following revised proposals approved by the City of London Corporation. The museum will now operate across two floors of a new 21-storey block at 65 Crutched Friars, a reduction from the three floors originally allocated.
The change was made to allow for additional student accommodation, with the revised scheme incorporating 33 more student rooms, bringing the total to 815. Corporation members voted in favour of the amended plans, with only two of the 15 present voting against.
Despite the reduction, Charles Gurassa, chair of the Board of Trustees at the Migration Museum, stated that the new site would still provide approximately 40% more space than the museum's previous temporary location. Laurie Boult, chief executive of the museum, expressed that the decision provided "certainty" for the project's progression. Corporation officers had recommended approval, noting that the museum's space would "remain a significant and publicly accessible cultural use".