Official closure of The Public as West Bromwich arts centre's keys returned
Bosses at The Public were today handing the keys back to Sandwell Council.
The move signals the official closure of the £72 million West Bromwich arts centre.
The building in New Street is set to be turned into a sixth form run by Sandwell College.
The arts centre closed its doors for good on November 16. For the past fortnight, bosses have been stripping out the centre ahead of today's handover.
Sandwell Council announced earlier this year that it was pulling its annual £1.6m subsidy for the site, which opened its doors in 2008. The sixth form college is due to open to students in September 2014.
The keys were due to be handed over this afternoon. Outgoing managing director Linda Saunders said: "It is disappointing.
"While it was operating it got more and more successful from year to year.
"Over our time we have more than 1.2 million visitors. From September last year we have had quarter of a million of those."
Building work on The Public, designed by architect Will Alsop, started in 1995 and after a number of delays the centre finally opened in 2008.
The centre opened 12 months after its original due date, millions of pounds of pounds over budget, and was condemned by the Commons Culture Select Committee as a 'gross waste of public money'.
In 2011 the Arts Council was accused of funding a building that was 'not fit for purpose' in a damning report into the organisation's role in building the centre.
Council bosses say the deal with Sandwell College to allow 500 A-level students to use the venue would save £1.5m a year which is currently used to help subsidise the gallery.
