IN PICTURES: Wolverhampton theatre group shares its vision for old store

Crumbling walls, collapsed ceilings and rotten window frames – it is hard to believe that this used to be one of Wolverhampton's most prominent buildings.

The sprawling 40,000sq ft former Co-op department store on Lichfield Street was a jewel in the city's crown for decades, selling clothing, footwear, drapery, electrical goods and furniture.

From the day it opened in 1931, customers travelled from across the Midlands to sample its wares, but in recent years it has become one of Wolverhampton's forgotten buildings.

Behind its stark white Art Deco frontage lies a network of rooms spread over five storeys that have been abandoned by businesses and left to wrack and ruin.

The bulk of the vast premises has sat gathering cobwebs, with pigeons and bats its only regular visitors. The Moon Under Water pub is the only business remaining there.

Outside the former Co-operative store above the Moon Under Water pub in Lichfield Street

But now change may be on the horizon, with a bold £5 million development plan in place to bring the building back to life.

And one of the city's most treasured institutions is hoping to be at the forefront of the redevelopment.

Assistant director of the Central Youth Theatre Holly Parry, takes a look around

The Central Youth Theatre – CYT – has been offering theatrical training in the city since 1983. It is currently split between two bases, with rehearsal rooms at the Newhampton Arts Centre and a costume storage unit at the Antique Market Hall on Salop Street.

Last year it nearly went to the wall after Wolverhampton City Council axed its annual funding of £13,000. But the group survived after members embarked on a fundraising drive, and now bosses are plotting a massive expansion, with a move to the former Co-op site key to the plans.

It is a mammoth task, which CYT founder Jane Ward readily admits as she walks through the entrance doors at the back of the building.

The eerie depths of the old Co-operative store which opened in 1931

"It's like walking into Narnia," said Jane, who set up the group in 1984.

"There are parts of the building which have been empty for so long. It is a completely daunting prospect, but we know what we want to do with the place.

"We've had a difficult year where the focus was on surviving as a group. This is the next stage in our development. In order to carry on we need to grow and be able to offer our services to more people in the city."

Walking through the building's maze of rooms gives a glimpse of its uses during various times in the last 80 years.

One room is packed with dozens of empty aluminium beer kegs, thought to be left over from the old O'Connels bar that shut down in 2010. The walls of a third floor room are painted completely black – a relic from its short stint as a Laser Quest. On the fourth floor the old Co-op cash office still contains a huge cast iron Chubb safe.

Jane Ward of Central Youth Theatre surrounded by barrels

Assistant director, Holly Parry, and director, Jane Ward, of the Central Youth Theatre next to the huge Chubb safe

It is thought to have been made less than 100 yards away at the Chubb Buildings in Fryer Street – which can be seen if you glance out of one of the many cracked windows at the back of the building.

There's a strong connection between the two sites. The Chubb Buildings represent another city landmark that fell into disrepair before a multi-million pound refurbishment brought it back to life in the 1970s.

"We actually made a film there that was shown on Channel Four," said CYT alumni Ed O'Driscoll, who is spearheading a crowd-funding campaign dubbed 'the Central Youth Theatre Heart Fund'.

Former member of the Central Youth Theatre Ed O'Driscoll next to old storage shelves at the former Co-operative store

"There are definitely parallels with this place. We think we can help to bring this part of the city back to life."

CYT's bold plans would see one floor of the building transformed into three state-of-the-art theatre studios along with an office.

An actors' relaxation room would also be created, while another section of the site would be used to house the theatre's collection of more than 10,000 costumes.

The extra space will enable CYT to triple its membership to more than 300. There are also plans to run classes in costume making and stage management for people of all ages. For the project to become a reality CYT needs to raise an initial £11,000, with the entire refurbishment likely to cost in the region of £200,000.

To get the ball rolling the Central Youth Theatre Heart Fund is set to be launched at the Hilarity Charity Gala on June 8.

Ed added: "We're calling it 'putting art in the heart of the city', which sums up what we're trying to do here.

"We need to raise a lot of money and hopefully we can make a dent in that and make the move here a real possibility."

The CYT Hilarity Charity Gala is on June 8 at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. For tickets visit grandtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01902 429212.