Sandwell Council set to borrow £1.4m to complete The Public arts centre
Troubled Black Country arts centre The Public could finally be completed in five months as Sandwell Council considers borrowing £1.4 million for more building work.
The £72 million building in West Bromwich town centre opened 12 months behind schedule in June last year, but the gallery remained closed and two floors were still in need of work.
And although the gallery opened amid a blaze of publicity with more than 2,000 visitors just over a month ago, the council is only now looking at proposals to complete floors two and four.
It comes just days after publication of a damning report into the centre urged councillors to consider “mothballing”, decommissioning or even knocking it down.
Council auditors KPMG said the centre, which came in £49 million over budget, had been “beset with problems” since it was conceived 15 years ago.
However, completion of works such as flooring, walls, partitions and toilets on levels two and four would finally see the building fully operational.
A finished level two would open up 870 sq m of space for class visits and conferences. Level four would have 640 sq m of office accommodation.
Coun Steve Eling, Sandwell’s cabinet member for strategic resources, will be looking at a report on the works proposal on Thursday.
It calls on the council to agree to the borrowing of £1.4 million which will be paid back at £140,000-a-year from annual council funding for the centre.
The report said: “The completion of level four will increase the office space available to let to businesses, while completion of level two will provide additional scope for The Public to support a broader range of cultural and corporate activities.
“In addition to the provision of opportunities for volunteering and work experience, these developments will collectively sustain employment opportunities on site.”
