The spokesman of Office of Public Works (OPW) insisted that the main project had not been abandoned. "We are not saying the project won't happen. It just won't happen in the timescale that was anticipated." The original refurbishment plan included work to the fabric of the museum as well as a new glass extension.The renovation plan includes lifts, toilets, a shop and a cafe. New environmental controls would also be introduced to protect the collections. The National Museum of Ireland's head of services, Séamus Lynam said, “the museum staff were realistic and understood the problems with the public finances. Basically the museum's position is that we want to get the museum open again - 150,000 visitors come to our museum every year. That's a big number. We are very cognisant of the huge fondness for the museum.”Mr Lynam said the museum would not be able to reopen until access issues were dealt with because elderly people or those with disabilities were unable to go upstairs. He said the museum would also like to see an improvement in its educational space before reopening. He hoped a decision on the reopening would be made early in the new year."We want to keep the footprint of natural history in the public eye," Mr Lynam said. "That's very important to us."