Revealed: What Walsall's Guildhall will look like after transformation
Digital images of how Walsall's Grade II-listed Guildhall will look when it is transformed later this year have been released.
Plans to transform the Guildhall into a modern Creative Industries Enterprise Centre are well underway, with construction due to start in spring.
In partnership with Community Interest Company Urban Hax, Walsall Council has secured nearly £5m of funding to bring the historical building back into sustainable use. Urban Hax was established in Walsall in 2014.
The funding includes £3m from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport delivered by Arts Council England and a further £1.8m from the government's Town Deal fund.
The new imagery, from CPMG Architects Limited, shows how the ground floor space could look once construction is completed, with a busy café and seating area, retaining the building’s impressive arched windows.
The images also show an improved courtyard seating area at the rear of the building.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Walsall Council, said: “These new images really bring the project to life and it’s exciting to see the plans coming together. This project is a great example of how we can diversify town centre buildings away from retail offerings, to provide facilities that will help local people access resources to build creative businesses.
“Walsall is a hub of creativity and with the right facilities, there is real opportunity and scope to support and grow talent within the borough. We acknowledge the need to move away from retail purposes for our town centre buildings and I think that once it’s up and running the Creative Centre will be a hive of activity.”
Geoff Henderson, directror of Urban Hax CIC, said: “We’re thrilled with the progress so far on the Guildhall project and these images offer a great insight into how it will look once it’s all finished.
“The new creative industries enterprise centre will offer substantial floorspace for a wide variety of creative businesses and makers, from leather workers and wood workers to fashion designers and digital artists.
"We will be able to invest in more equipment and machinery to help support local creatives to grow their businesses and I hope that the central location of the Guildhall will attract more and more people to explore their creativity.”
