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Former Dudley Museum building to be brought back into use under council plans

Council bosses are planning to spend up £850,000 to bring the former Dudley Museum and Art Gallery building back into use.

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Dudley Museum opened in 1912 but the building was closed in 2016

Under Dudley Council’s plans the landmark building in St James’s Road will be used as office and training facilities.

The historic building has remained largely unused since its controversial closure in December 2016. Displays and collections were shifted from the museum and art gallery to the Dudley Archives on Tipton Road. The museum had been a fixture in Dudley since 1912 but was closed by Dudley Council in a bid to save £150,000 a year. A petition set up to save the museum was signed by more than 4,000 people after the council announced it would close the venue. At the time, community leaders called the closure ‘sad’ and said it could impact on businesses and residents in the borough.

The plans for the former museum building come as part of a £1.5m capital project to refurbish the former museum building and create an improved bar and catering facility at Dudley Town Hall – at a cost of £650,000.

But the bar refurbishment plans came under fire at Dudley Council’s cabinet meeting , where opposition councillors said £650,000 could be spent refurbishing an entire pub. But Dudley Council leader Qadar Zada said the investment was expected to see a rise in takings of £50,000 in the first year and increases of £100,000 and £200,000 in subsequent years.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Dudley Town Hall is the premier live entertainment venue in the borough, and over the last 18 months or so we have been able to attract genuinely big names to come and perform there. Unfortunately, as things stand, while there are great things happening on stage, the bar and catering facilities at the site are not fit for purpose.

"As a result, people are leaving the venue during intervals to go elsewhere and then disrupting shows which have already restarted by the time they come back in.This investment will help bring the venue into the 21st century and futureproof it for years and generations to come.”

“We are supremely confident the money being invested will be recouped by visitors spending more at the bar and on new catering facilities.

“Over the road, the museum building has been empty for some time now and the plan is to create a training and innovation centre for community groups and small businesses as well as council staff.

“There will be no cost to the taxpayer for either the museum or the town hall project, as we plan to fund it by disposing of property we no longer have need for.”

A capital programme monitoring report stated: “A capital project has been developed to refurbish the former museum building at a cost of £850,000 and create an improved bar and catering facility at Dudley Town Hall at a cost of £650,000.

“The project will ensure that the former museum building is brought back into use as office/training facilities and will allow the Town Hall to maximise income from bar and catering.

“The total cost of £1,500,000 can be funded from £150,000 of transformation reserves and £1,350,000 from disposal of assets no longer required, including those freed up by relocating training facilities to the former museum site.”

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