Wolverhampton residents praise venue after Halls revamp shortlisted for prestigious award

And city residents say the nomination is good news for the venue and the city as a whole.Residents have said that news of an award nomination for The Halls Wolverhampton is good for the venue and for the city as a whole.

Wolverhampton Council’s transformation of the Civic Halls has been shortlisted in the 2024 Midlands Constructing Excellence Awards, with the venue in the running for the best Regeneration and Retrofit honour in the Midlands region.

The Civic Halls, now known as The Halls Wolverhampton, reopened in May 2023 following a £48 million refurbishment programme to ensure the 85-year-old Grade II-listed building remains part of the city’s fabric for generations to come.

A complex construction programme resulted in the height above the stage to the rear of the Civic Hall being increased to attract bigger and better shows.

It also led to the provision of more comfortable seats, more bars and space to socialise, expanded and revamped toilet facilities, lift access to new balconies, better access arrangements for disabled visitors (including enhanced wheelchair access), a greater number of accessible viewing points and improved room temperatures through the installation of a new air conditioning system.

It had not been without its problems since the venue closed in December 2015 as after initial renovation works began, more serious issues came to light about the state of the building.

At first, Wolverhampton Council had only planned for initial renovation works, but surveys found several structural, mechanical, electrical and engineering issues.

Specialists also had to carry out extensive removal of asbestos from the fabric of the buildings, while the project ended up costing £10 million more than it was originally projected to cost.

Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic put back the completion date for the venue back from its originally planned date of 2020, while the collapse of the Shaylor Group in 2019 delayed the project a full year as council chiefs sought to find another company to carry out the revamp.

Some people have also been critical of the building and prices since the venue reopened last year, with one main criticism being that the venue didn’t look much different from when it closed in 2015, while the price and selection of drinks has also been a bugbear for some people.

On the streets of Wolverhampton on a Friday lunchtime, there were people who had either visited the new iteration of the venue or had been there in the past.

Iveta Kusina from Wednesfield had been able to see a show at the Halls and the 45-year-old said she felt it looked a lot better than it had previously looked.

She said: “There’s lots of buildings being renewed and I think the new building looks a lot better than it had.

“I don’t know what it looked like back in the old days, but I remember it from 10 years ago and I think it is a better building.

“I think it was money well spent and I think the builders did a good job with the place, so the award nomination is good.”

Richard Hough from Tettenhall said he hadn’t had the chance to go inside the new Halls yet, but the 45-year-old said he remembered going to it in the 1990s and said he thought being shortlisted for an award was good news.

He said: “I think it’s really good for the city and I remember when I went there in the 1990s, it was a really good venue and while I haven’t been since it was done up, it’s been good to see it built up as it’s a long time in the making.

“It was good for music, but it had definitely seen better days and the refurbishment was much needed.

“The award nomination is great news as we need music and we need somewhere to go to listen to it.”

Music students Quinn Hallmark from Bilston and Hari Lakha from West Park had been able to visit The Halls as part of their course and while the two 17-year-olds said they hadn’t been inside, they thought the award nomination was good news.

Quinn said: “We’ve had the chance to see it and I can’t describe what it was like, it was just an experience to be able to go in there and see a venue that’s been there a long time.”

“I’ve seen pictures from the past of the venue and I think that it’s good to keep the look how it was because it’s one of the things about this city that you can say hasn’t changed at all.

“Most buildings around here have changed in some way, but the Halls haven’t and that’s really good.”

Hari said: “We’ve done a lot about the history of this building and we’ve had the chance to go and see it, so I think the award nomination is a massive thing for the city in terms of art history and the economy.

“There’s some big acts coming to the venue and which have a great influence on music in general, so this venue has definitely had an impact since it reopened.

“Another thing about the Halls is that it’s not necessarily the aesthetic of the venue that’s changed, it’s just the fact it’s able to hold more and perform better, plus it’s got better equipment and is a quality venue.”