Town leaders were today staying tight-lipped over proposals to boost security at an Ipswich museum, which planners are set to discuss at a borough council meeting tomorrow.

Plans for the Grade II listed Ipswich Museum and Art Gallery, in High Street, includes the addition of security grilles inside the building and internal security gates.

The listed building is owned by the council and it will have to be referred to the Government for approval before a decision can be made.

But opposition to aspects of the plans have already been voiced, particularly over the inclusion of a security gate at the back of the building, between the museum and the Wolsey Art Gallery.

Officials from English Heritage have raised concerns about the effect the structure, which would be placed between the museum and the Wolsey Art Gallery, would have on the building as a whole.

It has been confirmed that discussions have taken place over the gate and that it has been requested that it is either revised or omitted entirely.

A spokeswoman for Ipswich Borough Council said the authority could not comment on matters of security. But in a report, planners have been told: “The main consideration is the impact of the proposal upon the historic and architectural interest of this Grade II listed building.”

The internal works at the site have been described in the report to planners as necessary to safeguard the building and improve security.

It is hoped that revised plans for the gate could be announced to the borough’s planning and development control committee at a meeting tomorrow.