£1m more needed for troubled Waygood art gallery

Jun 4 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

A TROUBLED art gallery needs a cash bail-out to plug a massive financial hole.

The former Wards print factory complex on High Bridge was bought by Newcastle City Council in 1999 to secure the future of the Waygood Gallery.

The price of the building was £1.7m, with £3m earmarked for refurbishing and a planned opening date in 2005.

But numerous delays have seen the project pushed back by five years, with the cost of redevelopment rising to £7.8m.

Now, following a review, the city council has discovered the gallery needs another £1m to bridge a budget gap, which would bring the total spend to £10.5m.

When approached by The Journal for comment last night, Helen Smith, creative director of Waygood, said in a statement: “Waygood, Newcastle City Council and Arts Council England are working together in partnership to complete the redevelopment of Waygood in good time and to meet their shared objective; to create an exciting new cultural resource in the centre of the city, both for artists and the public.”

Council culture bosses say that despite the massive overspend and delay they are still committed to continuing to financially back the gallery and will pump £120,000 a year into it, £40,000 of which they will get back each year by renting it to Waygood on a 25-year lease.