People gather to see the renovation of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
© AFP/ANP/File Olaf Kraak

THE HAGUE (AFP) - "If the process of granting permits proceeds well, the Rijksmuseum will reopen its doors at the end of 2009," Minister Reny van der Laan said in a letter to the Dutch parliament, referring to planning permission for the museum's renewal.

Security measures in the renovation plans have been reviewed following recent art thefts from several other museums and a study must also be carried out on the environmental impact of the work, the minister said.

The museum's large collection -- including masterpieces such as Rembrandt's painting "The Night Watch" -- is on limited display after the museum closed for work on the 19th-century mixed Gothic and Renaissance-style building.

The renovated building must also comply with town planning requirements in the south of the city.

Plans for renovation work due to start in 2007 have already been adapted in response to public opinion, which favours a cycling route underneath the museum.

Traffic routes around the building have also been altered to enable demolition work to take place inside.

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