Regeneration of Dudley town centre gets triple boost with £8.4 million investment

Work has started on the street-running section of the Metro tram line in Dudley, while the investment deals have been announced for the Portersfield development and a new Institute of Technology.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Councillor Ian Kettle, Dudley Council's cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, were on hand to get the Metro works underway – and revealed a £6.3 million West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) investment package to pay for essential highway infrastructure to serve the Portisfield scheme.

A £2.1 million WMCA investment was also announced to support the construction of Dudley College's Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology.

Both WMCA investments are the latest funding deals under a region-wide urban renewal programme using hundreds of millions of pounds secured over recent years from the Government to help unlock stalled sites for new homes and jobs – and drive a green economic recovery from Covid-19.

With construction of the street-running section of the Metro line now underway, the £449 million WMCA-funded extension remains on course to open to passengers in 2024. It will link Dudley to the regional tram and rail network – and be served by a new £18 million tram and bus interchange station for the town.

Determined

The Metro extension, which will run from the existing line at Wednesbury through Dudley to Brierley Hill, as well as the Portersfield, Interchange and Institute of Technology are all part of a wider £1 billion regeneration of Dudley town centre.

Mr Street said: “For too long towns like Dudley had been left behind in the West Midlands, and I made it my mission when first elected as Mayor to work with Dudley Council to right this wrong.

“The pandemic hasn’t made it easy over the last year, but we were utterly determined that we don’t get knocked off course and press ahead with the incredibly ambitious plans for Dudley.

“I am therefore delighted that we’re able to announce the WMCA’s funding towards both the Portersfield and Institute of Technology developments, as well as mark the start of work on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro extension, serving Dudley town centre.

“With a revamped town centre, new high quality educational facilities, and a first-class public transport network linked to the rest of West Midlands, Dudley is undergoing a major transformation thanks to some brilliant collaborative working.”

Councillor Kettle added: “These are extremely exciting times for Dudley as a number of multi-million-pound projects reach critical stages.

“There’s £1 billion worth of investment gathering pace in Dudley and these projects give a flavour of what is to come over the next few years. These schemes will not only change the landscape of Dudley but also lead to more opportunities for people in terms of jobs, training and connectivity.”