The Natural History Museum on Dublin's Merrion Street will remain closed for at least two more years, if not longer, its director, Dr Pat Wallace, said yesterday.
Labour TD Mary Upton has called on Dr Wallace to consider displaying some of the exhibits elsewhere until the building reopens.
The museum closed on July 5th after a stone stairway collapsed, leading to the admittance of 10 people to hospital. They were part of a group of teachers who were attending a science appreciation course at the venue.
It was initially thought that the building would reopen within weeks but a parliamentary question asked by Ms Upton this week revealed that it would not reopen for some time.
The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Noel Ahern, said the Office of Public Works (OPW) was awaiting the final report into the collapse of the staircase and this would help determine the scope of works to be undertaken.
He said the Government had allocated €15 million in the National Development Plan towards the refurbishment of the museum and it would be a "complex" conservation project.
"It is the view of the National Museum, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Office of Public Works that the most practical and effective approach is that the museum remains closed until the refurbishment and conservation works are complete," he said.
Yesterday Dr Wallace said there was no start date for the restoration works but the plans were "in embryo" and included an art science gallery, an education reception area, toilets and a lift. Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said the 150-year-old building was "very tired".
"Without affecting the overall ambience of the place, we need to get it back at its best and it's a big logistical job," he said. "I'm hoping with the best will that we'll get contractors on that site in about two years, from my experience of dealing with the board of works [ OPW] and with the State services, and I'll be pleased enough with that."
The work could take a further two years.
Ms Upton said this was "an unacceptably long period of time" for Dubliners and visitors to the city to have to wait. "The Natural History Museum is a massive attraction for the city and tens of thousands of families, school groups, locals and tourists have filed through its doors annually for well over a century," she said. "I would urge Dr Wallace to consider the possibility of displaying some of the many wonderful exhibits, on a temporary basis, in one or more of the other National Museum facilities."
The Natural History Museum attracted 108,000 visitors this year before it closed on July 5th.
