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b j stanton
a wonderfull modern building that is inspirational and should benefit west bromwich in the years to come. the architect has shown a modern concept approach, good luck to all concerned.

Brian the Optomist
Whilst understanding local concern about The Public, why so much negativity. If we do not try to attract devlopment into West Bromwich what future does the town have. People are quick to criticise and belittle the project, but I really hope they are proved wrong. I do not know whether an arts centre in West Bromwich will work but at least it is putting us on the map and that can't be all bad. If we believe everyhting we read about local peoples reaction, the project is a faillure before it has had a chance to succeed. Good Luck to The Public, you may need it, but I really hope you prove people wrong.A plea to the locals, stop moaning about the state of the town, be brave or let it dissappear into obscurity.I am sure other leisure facilities will follow.

howard
lets flatten the gala put in acar park and lets build this purple and pink shed this choice was made by loco officals suffering delusions of grandure,i mean how out of touch with the locals must these people have been,how long will it have before its demolished to make way for amulti level swiming pool with water falls wave machines sub tropcal weather,bet they would not have built it if they lived in sandwell

Rob
is it only me but from the bus station the public looks incredably angry as if it is distainful of the poor people who catch busses

linda
why should we have to pay again [ having paid via rates] to visit an art gallery when the rest of the town is a dirty rundown place that could do with lots of improvement

Rob
It`s open and its rubbish..Instant eyesore just add money!

Shirley Flood
I am in agreement with all those who think the money would have been better spent on a leasure centre and cinema. I have to travel 4 miles every week to the nearest swimming baths, I used to go to the Gala baths until they closed.

Derek Law
What a waste of public money, where is the swimming baths, badly needed by our young, and older people. I'm afarid Mr Badhams is looking too far into the future. I cant see the PUBLIC lasting that long, before it is closed down.

dave walsall
how much are these clowns being paid?

Swifty
To the Arts council.....Keep yer money from now on....in fact there ought to be an investigation into this farce.I went yesterday and I was embarrased to be seen coming out of there....what a laughing stock !Unfinished projects, 2 floors out of bounds, lights that were broke, air conditioning not working, lifts broke, screws sticking out of the floor which tripped you up, hand wash in the gents was the best display....the others were....well...just cheap and nasty !There was nothing about West Brom history....it's past....Madeline Carrol, the Dart Spring, K&J, The baggies, Jenson Works, I could go on and on, instead we had a film about a depressed bloke who was on tablets and films in Spanish with subtitles from people about THEIR lives and culture.....what a complete and utter waste of time and money !Lets not forget also that Sandwell Council DID put some of OUR money towards this to finish this....Money which was diverted from other projects and Councillor Badham and his croonies should clear their desks NOW and NEVER EVER have any access to funds in future.Close it down NOW, flatten it and sell the land for prime office location....the money has long gone and there is no way any more money should be thrown at this rubbish.....if they expect people to pay to look at this and expect that money to go towards it's upkeep then it just shows how much these consultants and Councillors know.....just ask the PUBLIC....just look at their faces as they walk around the dump....you WILL get your answerSWIFTY....FROM A REALLY EMBARRASED WEST BROM !

sean of smevik
what a waste, although i appreciate art and architecture this serves no purpose for the further development of the people of the black country! the money wasted shouldve been used to improve the local schools and hospitals not another ambitious white elephant! this has not only blighted the landscape but also made the area look foolish.

Robert
What a fantastic looking building. I will be travelling to West Brom for the first time this weekend to see it. Clearly the locals are a bit dim not to see the potential of this - the Tate Gallery in St Ives has been shown to be in the top three reasons for people to visit Cornwall (one of the poorest and most deprived parts of Europe). There are loads of other examples of how the arts can regenerate our communities. Okay, so in future spend your money on new swimming pools and youth clubs, yes, go on, really strive to be ordinary! For me I will continue to applaud the vision, drive and forsight of the people doing their best to make their communities better, brighter and more appealing to investors and visitors alike.

Fiona Wade
It would of have more beneficial to have sports and leisure facilities keep the community healthy

west brom boi
what a waste of money. i mean come on, who in west brom actually likes art? theres alot of things 38 million cud of done. wud of been better off donating to the albion 2 help em stay in the premier league! up the baggies!!!!

Joan Burnett
As someone who lives well outside the area I would definitely travel To West Brom to visit. The place looks amazing and although £500 million is a hell of a lot of money, its also a very brave gesture. I live in a place that has staked it's future on the arts providing regeneration - a little old town called Liverpool - and I think on the whole it has worked wonders. See you there!

DJ
i used to work at the public - so i have the unique viewpoint of seeing both sides. the obvious viewpoint from the locals is always going to be along the lines of ' whats in it for me?' its time to look at the wider picture.West bromwich before was a run down, tired looking town with little to talk about - we now have this 70million+ building which is going to bring & encourage major investment in the town & make the town interesting again. Fair enough we don't have the gala baths anymore - the irony for me is the ones who are moaning about the baths probably never used them in the first place!!plus those who say ' we need a cinema, swimming baths, sports facilites instead of this eyesore etc' are people that dont use the existing places like harry mitchells, hailey stadium, thimblemill baths etc now to bring one of those in west bromwich would of been a waste of money!I know from talking to local business they are excited about the prospect of increased profits etcim looking forward to see what this building will do for local business & communities.i agree with bob badham says local people can make or break this building this building was ten years in the making - the same was probably said when they built the king & queens square!! - no one woke up one morning and said ' lets build a enormous pink & black building in west brom because its something to do - when in 2 or 3 years time as west bromwich reaps the benefits of this place those same people will be saying 'well i didnt like it to start with, but its alright!!' instead of moaning, get behind it & support it! people tend to forget this is the first of many new building to appear in west bromwich - the new police station, tesco superstore, the new sandwell college building plus the exetension of the metro are some of the things that have come out of the interest generated by this building - so my advice to people - stop pleading ignorance & embrace it - its here & its here to stay!!

Gordon McEwen
Down the road is the magnificent Birmingham Gallery which is free to enter. Going the other direction, Dudley and Wolverhampton have free Art Galleries - can't see many people going to visit this one at nearly £7 a pop.

Gary Overton
I have many comments that some will see as sour grapes, but I would state that they are facts. Believe me I so want ‘THE PUBLIC’ to work, but not that I doubt it, IT WON’T1, Yes I say up front I applied for a post within the public, and for whatever reason I was not appointed and I have no problem at all with that decision at all, I do have a problem with being interviewed TWICE and not being informed of that decision, I had to telephone to find out I was not appointed, I find that totally unprofessional, I have never worked for an organisation that didn’t contact those interviewed, i’m not talking about applications, as I know there were thousands, i’m talking about the 40 or so interviewed, having said that please read on. I won’t go in to detail about the first interview, needless to say I laughed all the way home, an episode of rainbow comes to mind. Oh and add that to the cost of ‘THE PUBLIC’ as the first interviews went over 4 days and employed external consultants, nice work if you can get it guys. Or couldn’t they afford the 2nd class stamps.2 During the interviews in May, we were given an insight into ‘THE PUBLIC. I’m a great believer in what I don’t understand I try to. I put my hands up and state that i’m not a great lover of modern art, that doesn’t mean I think its rubbish or stupid, I just don’t have a great fondness for it. I have worked within ‘THE ARTS and ‘MENTAL HEALTH for some time, and I think within ‘THE PUBLIC’ the two meet. I’m sure any one of my previous clients would flip. One of the pieces is having a circle of light placed on you that follows you about from an unknown source and voices broadcast to you that only they can hear. In mental health that was called paranoid schizophrenia. Still trying to work on the art side of that argument.3. Right your inside and you have paid your £7, you’ve have walked round, what do you get . A tacky piece of sticky back plastic placed on a mug (I guess you have to pay extra for the mug, get it while you can guys). Well call me a cynic, but I call that a rip off. I don’t care! They were unable to tell us what ‘ART’ would be on show, I will be interested to see what it is. For 50 odd million it would better be good.4, I am a member of a well known theatre close to ‘THE PUBLIC’, at the interviews it was stated that integration with local arts and theatre groups would be so important to make them a part to the project, as far as I am aware no one has contact us and I talking about a major theatre within 3 miles of the ‘THE PUBLIC’. So who have they contacted?5, It was stated that this would re-generate West Bromwich, the main focus for this was the metro, and that people will be flocking from ALL over the country to visit ‘THE PUBLIC’ Please, give me a break, who’s kidding who.Forget ‘THE PUBLIC’ I want a job with the PR firm that sold this to Sandwell council, and I hope Sandwell council have a good exit strategy, Just watch your council tax bills next year and the year after!!!! By the way I’m starting a book on how long ‘THE PUBLIC’ will last in its current form. Odd on favourite is 6 months. I’m sure someone with argue with me on the merits of ‘THE PUBLIC’ only time will tell.

phil
what a complete waste of money west bromwich is surrounded by canals yet there is no swimming baths were the kids can be taught to swim

Nick C
West Bromwich has been in need of new public spaces for a long time and this is aiming at not just starting that but also to put West Bromwich on the map.Would it be generating so much press and interest globally if it were an ice rink, cinema or swimming pool.Whilst it is ambitious and seemingly out of place look at what the Guggenheim has done for Bilbao, the Baltic for Newcastle or Ars Electronica for Linz. I'm most local people in both of those cities would have preferred money spent on more obvious leisure destinations at the time but are now rightfully proud of these new additions to their cities.We shouldn't forget the large amounts quoted of money have come from lottery ticket buyers and taxpayers around the country. This is a significant investment in West Bromwich from the public across the UK that could have been spent on leisure centres and cinemas elsewhere.Jubilee Arts who were the original organisation behind the scheme had a fantastic reputation both internationally and locally for the highly successful work they did in engaging local communities in artist led projects, education and skills development.To say that a large scale manifestation of their approach is a waste of money, before anyone has even stepped in the door is both premature and shortsighted.If successful it will give all residents a vibrant and exciting place to spend time, a real reason to be proud of their town not to mention a significant boost to the numbers of visitors.What it looks like on the outside is completely missing the point, it is what is inside and what that provides over the next 5-10 years that will really determine whether this is a masterful stroke of regeneration or a failed gamble.I for one hope that it is a great success and believe that all residents must get fully behind it to help make that happen.

DB
Yet another demo of Sandwell Councils lack of ability in the real world.Millions wasted on a building they have no idea what to do with. We have thousand of kids needing an outlet for their energies and rather than use this for after school teaching of music, art, dance or drama it's being turned into somewhere to observe.A chance to bring home the lost youth lost.

Christine B
It makes little sense to spend so much on an ugly building when funds for all forms of arts and leisure are being cut. Creativity is a vital and positive part of human life. One arts project in the Black Country has reduced local teens' antisocial behaviour by a third; the young people involved have matured and gained confidence by the experience. This has to be value for money - but it didn't need a £52m location. Walsall's art gallery is a social focus, and a genuinely interesting building, as well as a stimulus to creativity and a reason to visit the town: a good model. What is desperately needed is a good means of promoting all forms of culture throughout the Black Country. If we aren't told what's on, we won't bother to battle with traffic and lousy public transport. Venues will remain local, and insular. Art thrives on interaction. But we desperately need the funding for sports and physical activities as well.

Les Jones
Re Jerome Turners comment..The "Arts Council" may have funded a large part of this development but Sandwell MBC has also plugged thye shortfalls to the tune of millions of tax payers money. Had the Arts council taken their money elsewhere at least we would not have been saddled by this eyesore.

Gary Browning
Sandwell Council are so out of touch with reality it is untrue. With so many areas of high deprivation, with one of the worst performing education authorities in the country, a third rate youth service, a host of white elephants already in the borough and then The Public adding insult to an already injured area. What a disgrace !

Jerome Turner
To everyone who has commented that the money should have been better spent - could they suggest what this "Arts Council" funding should have been spent on? In short, most of the money has come from arts money which would not have come to the town at all if it had not been for the Public. It is NOT coming from a pot of money that would otherwise be spent on "swimming pool or sports centre

manny/ harj
this is fanastic because it shall bring more business to our Inn which is located in West Bromwich. Great design

St.Georges `oss
Waste of money. A two storey shoebox with blobby windows was the best discription, it will never be anything more than an excuse for certain councilors to crow, while doing nothing except wasting money on pipe dreams. and as of 20th April 2008 it still isn't open....

Richard Morgan
And I quote:"There are also digital waterfalls, flying avatars, winding paths and sound tunnels"Sod the flying avatars, West Bromwich has no cinema, theatre or centrally located swimming pool or sports centre. five hundred million pound regeneration - Ha Ha HaThanks for at least listening

Tony Hill
Another example of an over inflated ego leaving his mark.What % of the public are going to visit(The Public),and who will come to West Brom to see it?I could think of a better way to spend the money, a waste.

Blackcountry Bloke
£38 million..........THIRTY EIGHT MILLION POUNDS!! What a complete waste of money.Has said below, surely the money could have been better spent on improving the facilities for the "youth" of the Black Country. It just shows you how OUT of touch the Councillors are with reality, sign of the times i'm afraid.The minority win again

A Hall
It is an absolute eye sore; it looks like something a 3 year old would build with a tub of lego bricks. Then it has been dumped down in the middle of an area that is totally alien to it. The money would have been better spent on providing the local community with recreational opportunities such as physical sports (swimming, ice skating, rock climbing etc) and extra curriculum activities such a music and performing arts school. Additionally we could have seen the money spent on youth clubs with a leadership in place, to guide youngsters through the use of play and friendship, onto life paths and into further education or the workplace.

nicola
what a waste of money totally against west brom needs more than an eyesore of an art gallery. Sandwell council needs to get their act togther

edward morris bromwich through & through
I posted my say about a month ago however it did not get onto site so will again say what a waste of money , west brom needs better facilities for people to go for entertainment ie Picture house , ice skating swimming etc, not this abissmal eyesore well out of character with the area surrounding it , be closed within 5 months let alone 5 years

Rebecca Storey
For a successful arts centre in the region The Courtyard in Hereford is a prime example. Arts centres add a vital space within a community.

Les Jones ( Born & Breed in West Brom)
What an absolute waste of money.West Bromwich needs an "art gallery" like a hole in the head. Money should have been spent on something useful such as a replacement for the recently demolished gala baths or simply used to tidy up and remove the eyesores that litter the town centre.The Public is totally out of character and is yet another eyesore. the development of the town centre is it appears to me to be yet another figment of the imagination of Sandwell Council it will never happen just like the other failed developments at Oldbury.