Work on new £2.7m centre is completed

The construction of a new multi-million pound youth training centre next to the scene of one of Walsall's biggest fires has been completed.

The £2.7 million Goldmine centre includes a library, training rooms and multi-purpose space for performances in Lower Hall Lane and will house the new Walsall Studio School from 2013.

It is hoped the three-storey building, built near the Shannons Mill site which was ravaged by fire, will kickstart the wider regeneration of the area.

Developers St. Modwen and Goold Estates have handed over the contemporary 20,000 sq ft building to operators The Vine Trust.

The impressive building will initially be utilised by the Trust to provide training, learning, advice and guidance to young people in the area.

The studio school will provide 14-19 year olds with the opportunity to study GCSEs, A Levels and other vocational projects while boosting their employability skills with paid weekly work placements.

Goldmine forms part of St. Modwen and Goold Estates' £90 million St. Matthew's Quarter regeneration scheme. Work on the centre in the historic Shannons Mill site was delayed in in 2007 and revised plans were drawn up.

Mark Watkins, development surveyor at St. Modwen, said: "We are pleased to hand over this building on time. It is the next phase of the St Matthew's Quarter regeneration scheme which will transform this part of Walsall into a vibrant learning, leisure and shopping destination."

Dominic Goold, managing director of Goold Estates, said: "Goldmine provides young people with a much needed resource in Walsall town centre as well as employment opportunities."

Kevin Davis, chief executive of The Vine Trust said: "This is a fantastic facility and we are very much looking forward to opening the Walsall Studio School. "These schools designed for 300 students look and feel more like a workplace than a school with a 9am to 5pm working day and year-round opening."

By Craig Hughes