Posted by 
The fit-out of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery remains on track for Spring next year despite one of its main contractors going bust.
As Blog Preston revealed in September the lead contractor for the internal work in the building – Beck Interiors – went into administration.
A deal has been reached to allow the fit-out of the grade-I listed museum, which has been closed since 2022, to continue.
Read more: Eight areas of Preston due for a new look and major changes in next 12 months
Preston City Council has reached a ‘final account sum’ as part of a settlement agreement.
City council chief executive Adrian Phillips and deputy leader councillor Martyn Rawlinson are listed as striking the deal – which the city council says ‘would avoid a potentially lengthy and costly legal dispute, further extending the project programme and incurring additional costs.’
The settlement amount is not known but analysis by Blog Preston of the city council’s accounts showed more than £300,000 had been paid out to Beck Interiors ahead of work beginning at the Harris.
Within the council decision notice which is dated to mid-October but only recently published it states “the agreed final account allows both the council and the main contractor to complete the project with a level of financial certainty’.
An update on the Harris project is due to go to a full council meeting later this week to be heard by councillors, but is restricted from the public, as are the details of the settlement agreement reached with the main contractor.
Costs on the Harris work have rapidly escalated since work began, now standing at £16.2million but the final costs are expected to be significantly higher after further delays and challenges with the settlement agreement adding costs on top.
A city council spokesperson said they would not be commenting on the report at this stage, and the Harris work remained on track for completion in Spring 2025 and further information would be given in January.
Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines
