£82 million scheme bringing homes, shops and ice rink to Dudley moves step closer

Dudley Council has agreed to fork out £420,000 develop and submit a new planning application, in partnership with developers Avenbury (Dudley), to redevelop the Portersfield site.

The proposal promises to see 347 residential units, 200 student digs, up to 10,000 square feet of retail and leisure space and a 38,000 square feet Ice Rink Centre introduced.

It is part of a wider £1 billion major redevelopment of the town centre, which also includes a £24.5 million new leisure centre, a £24 million transport interchange, improvements to Dudley Zoo and Castle and the extension of the Midland Metro.

And bosses believe the application could even be submitted later this month following the agreement.

Last year, the eight-storey “eyesore” office block Cavendish House was bulldozed to help pave the way for the Portersfield scheme.

In original plans submitted by Avenbury, a cinema was going to be part of the development but this was dropped due to it being close to the existing Showcase situated on Castlegate Business Park.

At a special cabinet meeting, members agreed to enter into an agreement with Avenbury to prepare, submit and promote the planning application.

A report to the meeting on April 1 said: “As we emerge from lockdown and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic it is vital the council continues to demonstrate its commitment to the regeneration of the borough.

“A prime example is the council’s developing partnership with Avenbury (Dudley) Ltd – the developers of the Portersfield site in Dudley town centre.

“During the initial lockdown the developers signalled their intent with the demolition of the Cavendish Building.

“In July 2020 Cabinet approved that the council enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Avenbury (Dudley) Ltd as both parties agreed there is considerable benefit to be gained from a comprehensive development in Dudley town centre.

“(It) will make a positive contribution to the economic vitality of the town centre (through job creation, increased turnover and the beneficial use of a large area of land) which will bring with it significant environmental improvements in terms of its design, appearance and the provision of associated infrastructure.”

Councillor Ian Kettle said: “The fact we own half the land and we are putting up the money for planning, we want to get this moving forward as soon as possible so the synchronisation of the development of the town comes together.

“I’m delighted we’ve come along with this and there is nothing to stop the application going in on April 12.”

Authority leader Patrick Harley added: "This does offer us a certain degree of protection. We own quite a lot of the land for this potential development.

“By the time we’ve completed the Compulsory Purchase Order arrangements, we will own in excess of 50 per cent.”