National Gallery is getting refurbished to celebrate its 200th birthday

The National Gallery is set to be refurbished to celebrate its 200th birthday.

Westminster Council has approved plans for a new entrance to its Grade-I listed building, complete with new paving, benches and bollards in time for its bicentenary celebrations in 2024.

But the changes to the historic site have been opposed a number of heritage groups.

The Sainsbury Wing on St Martin Street, which was opened in 1991, will be upgraded and will become the gallery’s permanent new entrance.

An underground link will be built to connect it with the main building.

The Gallery hopes this will make the site more accessible.

Some of the gallery’s Egyptian-style columns will be moved to become part of a new bookshop and landscaping works will be carried out to public spaces such as Jubilee Walk.

New entrances to the research centre and members’ rooms will also be built on Trafalgar Square.

A planning report explained: "In 2018, the National Gallery changed their operations and the Sainsbury Wing entrance became the only main entrance – and this remains the case today.

"This was in large part because of the limitations at the Wilkins Building entrance which the Gallery have found to become ill-suited for its original purpose.

"The Sainsbury Wing has better capacity to handle security checks and it is accessible to all visitors (the portico entrance includes steps and space is more limited within the entrance lobby).

"An aim of the alterations to the Sainsbury Wing therefore is to improve this entrance in terms of functionality and in terms of visitor experience so it can better serve as the principal entrance to the National Gallery."

The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to protect buildings erected after 1914, said it "strongly" disagreed and called for a public inquiry to decide the future of the site.

A spokesperson said: "This is a grade I listed building, and if it was a Victorian or Georgian one, this level of change would not be allowed."

The changes to the historic site had initially been opposed by Historic England but after amendments to the design the body is now in favour of the developments.

While Historic Buildings & Places said they welcomed some elements of the revised plan, the group still has “significant concerns over the level of harm the proposed alterations would have on the significance and integrity of the Grade I listed Sainsbury Wing.”

Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster’s Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and the Economy, said: “The National Gallery is one of the jewels in London’s glittering crown of attractions, loved by Londoners and tourists alike.

“But as this amazing institution approaches its Bicentenary Year it needs to ensure that it can offer the best contemporary visitor experience possible.

“The Planning Committee were clearly in agreement that these changes would achieve that aim, while obviously taking the impact to these Grade I listed buildings very seriously.

“In the end the compelling public benefits package, including improved accessibility, persuaded them to give this project the green light.”