Urban strategy, fast-paced appraisals and museum feasibilities in the first of three studies for the Walsall Leather Museum

Hill Harvey-Wood in collaboration with Cultural Associates Oxford undertook a feasibility study for the potential expansion and relocation of the Walsall Leather Museum. The team were selected after Walsall Council took the decision to relocate the museum to play a more central role in the town centre alongside other existing and planned cultural destinations.

The team’s mapping of cultural provision across the city, included an in-depth analysis of the current offer, its challenges and successes, consultation with internal and external stakeholders and engagement with local creative practitioners and community leaders. Alongside the existing site, a series of historic, at-risk and neglected buildings were assessed as potential locations for a new museum. Shortlisted sites were developed as architectural concepts alongside a five-case business model. These included options for extending the current museum, a new-build museum and market hybrid set in a new urban park, the renovation of an historic cinema and the creative re-use of a former shopping centre and office complex.

External Links
Walsall Leather Museum