West Bromwich town hall lined up to be top concert venue
Ambitious plans to invest millions of pounds to transform West Bromwich’s historic town hall into a top entertainment venue have been unveiled.
Council chiefs want to turn the High Street building into a venue to rival Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Under the plans, millions of pounds would be spent on installing music and lighting systems.
It is hoped the revamp would encourage more people into the town centre. Sandwell Council bosses are also looking at transforming Wednesbury Town Hall.
Deputy council leader Councillor Mahboob Hussain said today it was hoped that both venues would hold gigs and host comedians, helping to boost the economy of the town centres.
Councillor Hussain, who is also the council’s cabinet member for service improvement, said: “The town hall in West Bromwich is being looked at to receive millions of pounds investment to make it into an arena for comedians and various other shows.
“We are looking at one avenue of it being run by the private sector, not by the council.”
He added that in Wednesbury, the council was working with the community to decide how to make better use of the town hall for local people.
Councillor Hussain said the authority was also considering using the sites as office space.
He added: “We could also make them an arena for comedians and gigs where we can charge – similar to a place like Wolverhampton Civic.
“The third option would be the council not running them and giving them to the voluntary sector to run on a lease instead of those buildings standing empty 89 per cent of the time, where the local community can use them for luncheon clubs, community get-togethers and activities to do with young people.”
He said if the council went down the entertainment route, money would be ploughed into modernising the West Bromwich venue with a music and lighting system. “It could run into millions of pounds, but we cannot afford not to spend it and leave the building empty because longer term it will cost us more.
“We need to get better usage of the buildings rather than them not being used by the wider community,” he added.
He said a decision would be made in the next three to four weeks, with a view to moving the scheme forward by October 2013.
The Grade II-listed West Bromwich Town Hall dates back to 1874.
Comments for: "West Bromwich town hall lined up to be top concert venue"
Pete
YET AGAIN ANOTHER HEADLINE THAT SOMETHING ELSE IN WEST BROMWICH IS BEING DONE UP COSTING MILLIONS. WHERE ARE ARE COUNCILLORS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE BOROUGH, DON'T THEY HAVE A SAY WHERE THESE MILLIONS ARE GOING. NO DISRESPECT TO THE PEOPLE OF WEST BROM GOOD LUCK TO THEM BUT AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICES THESE MILLIONS AFTER MILLIONS BEING PUMPED INTO THE SAME PART OF SANDWELL WHILE THE REST OF SANDWELL FALLS APART WITH NO INVESTMENT. WEST BROM HAS BECOME THE LONDON OF ENGLAND !!!!
Aaron
The London of Sandwell I hope you mean...
Pete
SORRY AARON YES I DID MEAN THAT WELL SPOTTED !
Do Lallytap
This is good news !
After decades of decline in West Brom where the council have sat back and watch it become an area which resembled Beirut they now have found the funds to bring it back to where it was 50 years ago....a thriving Town but my god what a mess it has been to get it to this stage.
I am 100 % behind Pete's post, the same thing happened 25 years ago in West Brom where everything moved to Oldbury and the Town hall was rendered useless and unused.
Lets be under no illusions here, Sandwell Council are solely to blame in the state of the town, lack of investment and a decline in a once thriving Town to what the past 20 years has turned it into a DUMP.
Tesco's come along, bought up the houses, shops, schools, churches and have got the Council over a barrel now because if Tescos run into trouble in a few years time then the whole Town will die.
As I say, great news about the Town Hall, pity about the rest of the Borough
IMHO
pete
Its already home to comedians - Councillor Darren Cooper and pals.
Cheesed Off : (
Isn't one of the functions of The Public to host functions/gigs etc? Why do we need 2 such venues in a comparatively small area when at the moment Sandwell is lacking in so many other facilities. In addition, many jobs have been lost in the borough in recent months reducing services dramatically....spending money on a new function venue, not really the way to go is it Sandwell MBC : ( : ( : (
nowhere man
Just what we need to complement the empty boarded up shops and Eastern European drunks in the gutter along "the golden mile"- BRIDE OF THE PUBLIC.