Merry Hill shopping centre set for £500,000 revamp and new leisure complex

Plans for an overhaul of Merry Hill shopping centre, including a £500,000 revamp of the bus station and a new leisure complex, have been revealed.

Work to improve pedestrian and bus routes around the station will finally start in the new year, while the shopping centre itself will also undergo improvement works as owners Intu look to modernise the centre.

Development boss Brad Critcher also revealed the company was looking at creating an extension to the shopping centre to be used for leisure, with a bowling alley one option that is being explored.

Improvements to the bus station have been talked about for years, but Intu has now confirmed the scheme will get started after Christmas.

Bosses have been keen to change the way pedestrians make their way around the station. Currently, shoppers use crossings which bring them out in front of buses and this had led to safety concerns.

The station itself will also be 'refreshed', though bosses have decided against a complete rebuild as they said it could be moved when the Midland Metro line is extended to Merry Hill.

The work has been scheduled to begin after the Christmas rush.

Merry Hill development director Mr Critcher said: "November and December is when the centre is at its busiest so the work will begin after Christmas.

"We are trying to separate buses and pedestrians. There are five or six crossings that traverse the bus station and we are trying to eliminate potential conflict."

But he stressed further development would have to wait until the future of the Metro is confirmed.

He added: "We don't want to spend a big amount of money and in six years' time pick it up and move it again."

Mr Critcher told of how exciting plans for a leisure arena were in their early stages and that bosses would look at what would be likely to attract new customers.

He said: "We want people to come to the centre for a bit longer, given the competitive pressures all centres are under."

He added: "We will be refreshing the malls and the entrances to bring the centre into 2017 rather than being in 1991 or 92 when it was built."

Intu has had big plans for Merry Hill since taking over the Brierley Hill site three years ago