Friday March 13th 2026
People's Palace, Glasgow Green
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Catherine Hunter
There is no confirmed timescale on when People’s Palace and Winter Gardens will reopen to the public, a Glasgow city council officer has confirmed.
The local authority is working to secure investment for the museum and gardens by the end of May from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) following its successful application in round one.
In April 2024 the building closed to visitors and its collection was documented, packed and moved to Glasgow Museums Resource Centre and Kelvin Hall to allow surveys and investigative work to take place.
The estimated budget for the refurbishment project is £35.9 million where £12.5 million of which will be raised through a fundraising campaign that is engaging prospective funders.
So far, £2.7 million has been raised through this campaign and Glasgow Life remains in active discussion with the Scottish Government to explore how they can support the overall funding.
During a recent committee meeting councillor Stephen Docherty said: “It is great to hear about the refurbishment of People’s Palace.
“What is the projected timescale for the reopening of People’s Palace and the Winter Gardens and what contingency plans are in place if the anticipated external funding is not secured?”
A council officer confirmed that they expected to be successful in the application but if they were would think of a different approach.
They said: “We are not right now in a position to indicate a full timeline to completion.
“Clearly in this city we have demonstrated historically through Kelvingrove, the Burrell, Riverside and a whole host of other projects we have a very positive relationship with the Heritage Lottery Fund.
“We have also historically secured funding from both the UK and Scottish Governments for our capital projects.
“We think this is an incredibly exciting project. It is the creation of a world class social history museum. It is the only significant museum that we have in the East End of the city and occupies a really important part of the city.
“There is a real sense of ownership across communities so we are incredibly positive and hopeful about our funding package.
“If we are unsuccessful, and we are not anticipating being unsuccessful, we will have to adopt a pragmatic approach in terms of the People’s Palace but that will be an iterative process in terms of conversations with contractors who are on board at that moment.
“Right now we are being positive and we think it is one of the most exiting developments in the museum sector in this country.”
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