And a frustrated council general manager Robert Dobrzynski said that there was no way that the air ducts on the roof of the historic Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery would be removed.

Launceston man Jim Dickenson said on Monday that he was appalled by the conglomeration of tin air-conditioning ducts rising "in a ghastly destructive fashion", from the historic building.

But Mr Dobrzynski said that the exterior service ducts had been part of the original plans for the major refurbishment of the Royal Park site to enable the soaring ceilings of the original galleries to be restored.

He said that false ceilings had previously been installed to take the cable services and ducting materials.

"The whole of the ducting has been removed to the external parts of the building to enable us to open up all of the gallery space to its original form including the ceilings which are very majestic," he said.

The new external ducting still has to be painted and screened over as part of the completing of building works, Mr Dobrzynski.

He said that the design for the new museum had been approved by the Heritage Council with ample time for public comment.