Walsall Council officially submits plan to change leather museum into an education facility
A planning application has been submitted to officially turn the Walsall Leather Museum into an education facility, seemingly dashing faint hopes campaigners had of blocking the closure.
The Littleton Street site had been home to the museum since 1988 but cash-strapped Walsall Council announced its closure last year.
Comprised of a series of Victorian red-brick buildings, the site used to be the Broadway Training Centre before becoming the home of Walsall's leather making heritage.
Walsall College will take charge of the property and transform the buildings into an assisted learning centre for its most vulnerable pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The Wisemore campus of Walsall College is a stone's throw from the museum site and education chiefs hope the new centre will transform SEND pupils' learning experiences.
The college's director of capital projects Deb Rajania submitted a letter as part of the application.
She said: "The proximity of the site to the college's Wisemore Campus will provide our SEND students the advantage of providing safe, discreet provision whilst giving them access to the campus communal facilities including the drama studio and teaching kitchens."
The college's current home for SEND pupils is Hawbush which has become out of date and unable to host vital activities.
Miss Ragania added: "Drama and cookery are vitally important parts of SEND education, promoting communication, confidence and independence. The lack of provision at Hawbush limited the effectiveness of sessions so access to Wisemore will increase the effectiveness of our SEND provision.
"The college's approach to SEND provision has been delivering outstanding learning for SEND pupils for a number of years. This application ensures the provision will be even better due to the proximity of the Wisemore Campus."
Before any renovations can take place Walsall Council's planning committee needs to approve a change of use application which was submitted on December 18, last year.
The application is the latest development in a long-running saga which stretches back over a year; campaigners believed they had stopped the sale of the museum to the college in February only for the closure and sale to be approved in the autumn.
The change of use application is Walsall Council effectively asking itself for permission to change the use of the site. The decision is expected to be confirmed in February.
- For more information about public notices and planning stories in your area visit the Express & Star planning portal https://publicnoticeportal.uk/express-and-star.
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