Regeneration
Vibrant designs breathe new life into Walsall’s Guildhall
Published on
Walsall’s Grade II* listed Guildhall, that sits at the top of Walsall High Street, has been brought back to life in recent, vibrant digital images.
Plans to transform the Guildhall into a modern Creative Industries Enterprise Centre are well underway with construction due to start in spring.
In partnership with creative Community Interest Company Urban Hax, Walsall Council has secured £3million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, delivered by Arts Council England, and a further £1.8million from the Government’s Town Deal fund, to bring the historical building back into sustainable use.
The new imagery, from CPMG Architects Limited, shows how the ground floor space could look once construction is completed, with a busy café and seating area, retaining the building’s impressive arched windows. The images also show an improved courtyard seating area at the rear of the building.
“ These new images really bring the project to life and it’s exciting to see the plans coming together. This project is a great example of how we can diversify town centre buildings away from retail offerings, to provide facilities that will help local people access resources to build creative businesses.
Walsall is a hub of creativity and with the right facilities, there is real opportunity and scope to support and grow talent within the borough. We acknowledge the need to move away from retail purposes for our town centre buildings and I think that once it’s up and running the Creative Centre will be a hive of activity “
“ We’re thrilled with the progress so far on the Guildhall project and these images offer a great insight into how it will look once it’s all finished.
The new creative industries enterprise centre will offer substantial floorspace for a wide variety of creative businesses and makers, from leather workers and woodworkers to fashion designers and digital artists. We will be able to invest in more equipment and machinery to help support local creatives to grow their businesses and I hope that the central location of the Guildhall will attract more and more people to explore their creativity “
The vacant building, which was last in use as an Italian restaurant, has now been stripped internally and plans are in progress to determine the layout for what will be a hive of creativity. Urban Hax is a Black Country based makerspace company, established in Walsall in 2014, and has built its reputation as being a great place to practice and exploit creativity in all its forms.
The plans for the makerspace aim to help creative businesses grow and thrive in Walsall, to boost the economy and to nurture the creative industry.
The Guildhall transformation is part of Walsall borough's £1.5billion programme of investment, that will create over 1000 new homes and over 4000 jobs. Find out more about Walsall's regeneration on our website.
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