Historic Dudley Hippodrome will be torn down after councillors approve plans

The borough council's cabinet rubber-stamped a raft of moves including overturning a restrictive covenant on the Castle Hill site preventing it from being used except for the purposes of leisure, retail or housing, at a meeting on Thursday.

Members agreed to recommendations for the art deco building to be redeveloped as a university centre with the help of a £25 million grant from the Government's Towns Fund, which would see Worcester University run a nursing college from the site.

Dudley Council's regeneration and enterprise director Helen Martin told the meeting that preparations were being made for the second phase of the major redevelopment aimed at boosting the town centre's tourism quarter.

Former Hippodrome operators, the Kennedy family, who ran the theatre for more than 20 years, placed a covenant on the building and the neighbouring Plaza cinema restricting future use of the site for entertainment, housing or retail purposes.

But Ms Martin said: "We intend to appropriate the site of the Hippodrome which has various restrictions and covenants under the Housing Act and the Planning Act which will require a further report."

She also said negotiations were continuing with a number of existing businesses in relation to compulsory purchase orders.

After the meeting, campaigners from the Dudley Hippodrome Friends and Community Group said they were disappointed with the outcome following a hard fought battle to reopen the theatre for performances and community projects.

Lisa Kimber, of the group, said: "The college centre is not going to benefit the residents. The campus will be shut at night and what Dudley needs is a theatre to generate a night economy.

"Some towns have lots of theatres. We have none.

"We were promised a feasibility study by the council last year, but that has not happened."

Former Friends chairman added: "Tonight they have approved this with a grunt."

The campus development scheme will be funded by the £25 million Towns Fund cash pot awarded to Dudley Council by the Government under a partnership between the council, Dudley College of Technology, University of Worcester, tourist attractions and other borough organisations.

The university will oversee a nursing college which is expected to be up and running by the 2024 academic year.