Mine search delays £12m hotel project

The transformation of Bilston Town Football Club with a £12 million hotel complex has been delayed by up to nine months after developers were ordered to search for mineshafts, it emerged today.

A planning application for the Queen Street ground was finally lodged with the council last month, eight months later than planned.

But developers were then sent to get expert advice about possible mineshafts at the site, which are rife around the town, before the application can be officially validated by planning officers.

The businessman behind the bid, who does not want to be named, today claimed it would take months to get the survey drawn up along with information about water tables in the area, meaning another application may not be submitted before the end of the year.

He said: "The council has known about this application for months but they did not tell us we needed these surveys.

"Why didn't they tell us before we put the plans in? Now the development has been put behind while all of these get drawn up which is going to take months.

"We don't know whether the plans will be resubmitted before the end of the year now and so we are looking at it opening in 2011."

The development is expected to create around 100 jobs.

Wolverhampton Council spokesman Tim Clark said: "Bilston has an extensive history of mining and developments proposed for the area have to deal with the issues that causes.

"We would have thought any agent acting for a developer would have advised their client of this basic requirement. Public safety has to be the overwhelming concern here."