Plans to open a major art gallery and artists’ studios in a run-down part of Newcastle have received another setback.
Councillors on Newcastle City Council have been told that the cost of refurbishing an old printworks to house the Waygood Gallery will cost another £1 million more than previously supposed. Total costs for the project have now ballooned from an original estimate of £4.7 million to nearly £10.5 million and the opening date has been put back from 2005 to 2010 or even 2011.
The council may have to sell off parts of the building in a bid to recover some of its costs.
The Waygood project was set up in 1995 by artist Helen Smith as a gallery and studios where artists from the North East could exhibit. When the building was put up for sale, Ms Smith persuaded the council to back a plan to turn the whole building into an arts complex which would help regenerate the entire area of High Bridge.
But a catalogue of mishaps have frustrated the project. Delays over crane access meant the work had to be retendered, a Victorian well was discovered on the site, builders found structural damage to walls and the building was hit by floods. The Waygood has been relocated to the Byker estate during construction work.
Tony Durcan, the city council’s head of culture, said: “We have examined a range of options on the use and ownership of space within the building; to ensure the scheme meets the objectives of the project and secures the long term sustainability of Waygood the artist studios will form the heart of the project; we will dispose of floorspace within the building which is not part of the current capital development.”
Among the possibilities is that a cafe, restaurant or performance venue could be included to the complex.
Helen Smith, creative director of Waygood, was not available for comment as AI went to press.