AN ambitious scheme to revamp York City Art Gallery will go ahead next year if a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is successful.

York Museums Trust has submitted a £255,000 bid for a project called Quick Wins for York Art Gallery.

Plans for the gallery are to create a new exhibition space behind the main entrance, complete with a lighting rig and new wall. There would also be "learning space" where the shop is, and improvements would be made to the public toilets. The gallery would be closed for refurbishment for six months from the start of next year if the bid is successful.

A spokesperson for the Heritage Lottery Fund said the trust should know the result of its bid "in the next few months".

Janet Barnes, chief executive of the York Museums Trust, said: "We want to attract new people to the gallery and putting in an exhibition space that will change regularly and is visible is, we think, the way to do it. We intend to see this as a period of experimentation that we will learn from and will back us up when we apply for a major grant in the future".

The proposed new development would have no effect on the neighbouring city archives.

Updated: 10:49 Thursday, September 25, 2003