Axed Dudley Museum building may become base for council staff conferences

Displays are set to be moved from the museum later this year to a new home in Dudley Archives, sparking fears the historic town centre building would be left empty.

But a council document says talks are under way to relocate staff and functions from Netherton's Saltwells Education Development Centre to the museum in Priory Street.

This would be a short-term move to keep the building from falling into disrepair, according to the local authority's regeneration boss Khurshid Ahmed.

Councillor Ahmed said: "That particular building will be temporarily used as a conference and training centre.

"We're trying to bring staff into the town and hopefully that will have a positive impact.

"The main concern peopled raised about shifting from the museum in the town centre to the Archives was a loss of trade in the town.

"Clearly what we don't want is for the building to be closed off and nothing happening there so it falls into disrepair.

"That is why temporarily we will be shifting staff from elsewhere to use it for conferences.

"There's an opportunity to continue to use the building and that will have a positive part to play in the town centre economy.

"In the future we will find a more permanent use for it."

In June the council unveiled plans to close Dudley Museum and shift the collection to Dudley Archives, in Tipton Road.

The proposals have been opposed by campaigners but last month the authority's overview and scrutiny management board voted unanimously in favour of them.

The plans, which had already been backed by Cabinet members, will now go before full council for final approval.

Assuming full council backing, the museum's treasures – including geological and also fine art collections – will be housed in the archive centre.

Council chiefs are in talks with the owners of the museum's collections for permission to move them early next year. It is hoped the new museum will open in summer 2017.

Councillor Ahmed said at the time: "It makes absolute sense to move the exhibitions to the Archives to benefit from the existing tourism at Castle Hill.

"These are really exciting proposals and will overcome all the issues we have had with parking and transport links at the current site, while creating something that will be as popular with school visits and people wanting to explore the steeped history of Dudley and everything that made this borough famous."