Swindon Borough Council insists no decision has been taken to close the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery building.
An artist's impression of the proposed new Cultural Quarter Art Pavilion
However, it refuses to rule out permanent closure of the Bath Road premises and has listed a series of faults which it says make the structure unfit for purpose.
A council spokesperson confirmed that the possibility of permanent closure remained for discussion.
Cllr Dale Heenan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Culture, Heritage and Leisure, has condemned whoever disclosed details of what he termed a confidential meeting to discuss the future of the Museum and Art Gallery.
He described himself as appalled by the leak, which he claims misled the public.
He said: “I am determined to see our nationally important art collection shared with the widest possible audience, and for a new Art Gallery and Museum to be delivered that Swindon can be proud of.
“Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is an essential service, and the provision and collections have never been under threat – that is something I would never agree to.
“A persuasive case was made by the professional officers running Swindon Museum and Art Gallery that Apsley House is not fit for purpose and for years barely attracted 30 visitors a day before covid hit, so focusing efforts on a new purpose-built facility is in the best interests of the art collection and museum artefacts.
“Knowing these issues, council officers wrote a discussion paper and last week confidentially discussed ideas on what should happen with the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and also informed local ward councillors. This was correctly done at the very start of the engagement process, and I'm told the participants left happy.
“It is appalling that they have found it so easy to breach trust and confidentiality and misled the public by claiming, minutes before the England football match kicked off on Saturday, that the council had made a decision to close the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. This has done nothing but cause concern and anxiety among the public over the weekend. They can no longer be trusted.
“In light of concerns, I have asked officers to prepare a full Cabinet report on the future of Apsley House, and the potential to relocate the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery to a new home.
“I can be clear. The future of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in our town is safe, and there is a long-term costed plan. Art is currently, and will remain, on display around the town.”
Earlier this year, the council announced a vision to deliver a Cultural Quarter by 2030 between the railway station and Zurich’s new offices. The vision was developed by the council in partnership with key Swindon cultural organisations and their users, and includes plans for a new Art Pavilion, theatre, dance studio and media and arts production centre.
The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery currently has its home at Apsley House on the corner of Bath Road and Victoria Road, which is an 1840s listed house converted into a museum and art gallery in the 1930s.
The council said in a statement: 'It has been recognised for decades as not being fit for purpose, providing a poor visitor experience.
"The facility has been closed to the public since the start of the pandemic in March last year, with social distancing impossible because of the lack of space and a significant amount of investment is also required to bring the building up to an appropriate standard.
"Apsley House has seven floors and a rigid and compartmentalised internal structure, which cannot be flexibly adapted for events. There is limited capacity to improve displays, limited physical space for commercial opportunities to help offset the costs of running a gallery and museum as well as high maintenance and security costs.
"The building has almost no disabled access to key rooms, which would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to rectify, and the working conditions for the staff who work there are poor."
The statement also noted that the building had deteriorated significantly in recent years.
It added: "In an effort to take Swindon’s nationally renowned art collection to a larger audience, the council launched Art on Tour in January last year. This has resulted in a number of successful exhibitions at council-owned buildings. Work is also ongoing with local businesses and learning and community venues to install artworks from the Swindon collection within their buildings, making it easier for the public to enjoy the art collection.
"A new concept known as ‘Museum Without Walls’ is being developed to take the borough’s heritage collections into community venues for pop-up exhibitions with related family activities.
"Museum curatorial and learning staff are also exploring displaying Swindon’s collections at the Central Library in Regent Circus, the Old Town Hall and the Carriage Works.
"The council has committed to maintaining the current museum and art gallery staffing budget."
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