New £24m food court for Merry Hill
A new £24 million food court at Dudley's Merry Hill Centre will create 350 jobs, it has been announced.
The news comes as the first pictures of what the restaurant area will look like are released by owners Westfield.
It has also announced that chains Nandos, Hey Potato, KFC and Nineteen Ten Mexican Kitchen have already signed up.
The food court, which will be called Eat Central, will have 16 units serving food to eat in a communal area and three separate restaurants.
It will be located in a service yard behind the Debenhams department store.
The outside entrance will be flanked by balcony-fronted two-storey restaurants, with shoppers also able to get to the complex via the inside of the centre. Some seating will be arranged into an outside courtyard.
The food court will have open plan kitchens and grills giving shoppers the chance to watch their food being prepared as well as seating for 1,200 people.
The project will create 150 jobs during the construction phase followed by 200 permanent positions when the food court opens.
Westfield's development director Neil Huntington said: "We are delighted to announce the project and these signings.
"These operators form the basis for the diverse range of independent and national operators that we will introduce at Merry Hill.
"Interest in the scheme has been solid and we expect to announce more names very soon.
"At Merry Hill we plan to attract a fascinating mix of contemporary and traditional operators, combining tastes from around the world to make sure there is something for everyone."
Westfield's Retail Academy was launched at Merry Hill last summer training people for a career in retail. There are now plans to extend it into retail.
Revised plans for the food court were given the go ahead in April last year following approval of the scheme in 2007.
Council planners backed the project despite opposition from the nearby Asda store.
The site earmarked for the new facility is used as a delivery and service area with warehouses for the larger stores.
Asda claimed it would block their service area but the planning committee rejected the concerns.
It will be a similar design to the former Verne's Famous Food Fayre.
