Walsall art gallery to reopen on Sundays

Walsall's £21 million New Art Gallery will reopen on Sundays, bosses announced today.

The landmark building was the victim of money-saving measures last year, which led to it being closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

Gallery director Stephen Snoddy said the decision to reopen on Sundays could come into force as early as September.

Council chiefs have previously said Sunday opening would be crucial in the gallery's bid to host the prestigious Turner Prize.

Mr Snoddy said: "We are going through a consultation with staff which will be finished next week. We were looking at reopening on Sundays from October.

"The consultation is about informing staff about changes to their hours, but If everyone agrees there is a possibility that we might reopen on Sundays from September."

He said the construction of the100-bed Premier Inn nearby the gallery, off Wolverhampton Street, had also influenced the decision to reconsider Sunday opening.

The £12 million canalside hotel is expected to open its doors in the autumn. Mr Snoddy added: "We will have a hotel right beside us so if people want to come in on a Sunday they will be able to.

When the proposal was made to close on Sundays, there was no hotel on the horizon.

"It doesn't mean we will be reopening on bank holidays.

"We will look at that in the future."

A working group was set up by the council to look at issues surrounding the gallery and reported that restricted opening hours were likely to harm the success of any potential bid to host the Turner Prize in 2015.

The New Art Gallery Walsall could expect 100,000 visitors over three months if the Turner Prize bid was successful, double the usual figure. Restoring Sunday opening is expected to cost £30,000 a year, but councillors have backed plans saying that the investment would result in a "significant boost" for Walsall's economy.

It comes after a petition was launched in April by Walsall South MP Valerie Vaz in favour of the gallery reopening on Sundays and bank holiday Mondays.

Other plans for the gallery include altering public walkways within the building so visitors would have to walk through the gift shop before leaving.