Dudley leisure quarter scheme moves closer as plans for complex, hotel and restaurant go in
Plans for a £4 million town centre leisure quarter in Dudley have moved a step closer with the submission of a planning application.
Hush Property Developments has applied for permission to turn the former Dudley Museum and Art Gallery in Priory Street into the 'Fun City' leisure complex, featuring indoor cricket, mini golf, laser-tag games and escapology rooms,
The company also plans a hotel and restaurant for neighbouring buildings fronting the adjacent Stone Square.
The whole scheme is set to create 40 new jobs.
The Grade II listed red-brick museum has been empty since it was closed by Dudley Council in 2016.
Plans submitted to the council show that the new development will feature a food court on the ground floor, with a soft play area for children.
Laser-tagging and indoor cricket will be on the first floor, with a viewing area for spectators, while the basement will be turned into an escape room adventure game.
Hush Property Developments director Paul Andrews said the building had deteriorated since it was vacated six years ago, and sympathetic restoration would now be necessary.
The roof will be stripped and rebuilt, retaining the original roof tiles.
Twentieth-century alterations, including partition walls and a false ceiling, will be removed to restore the building to its original glory, said Mr Andrews.
Co-director Hayley Andrews said she was thrilled to be part of an exciting development, which would bring a new lease of life to three historic buildings.
"Our determination to get the project underway and open the venues for the enjoyment of the people of Dudley and those travelling in from further afield is unwavering," she said.
The scheme will also see the Glass House restaurant opposite the museum building reopened after closing 12 months ago.
A neighbouring office block will become the Royal Keep boutique hotel.
Mr Andrews said Dudley Council's presence at last year's Mipim international property conference in Cannes was a factor in deciding to invest in the town.
The council's attendance at the event has been criticised - with reports that it could have cost up to £400,000.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: "Our presence at last year's Mipim is now bearing results.
"I thank Hush Properties for their dedication and commitment to regenerating Dudley Town centre. "This project will create a massive boost to the local economy and overnight create what is missing with a night-time economy."
The foundation stone of the museum building was laid in 1883 by Earl Beauchamp, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.
Originally a library and art college, the art gallery was opened on August 1, 1888, by Mayor of Dudley Benjamin Hingley. Among its most celebrated exhibits was J M W Turner's famous painting of the town.
In 1906, Dudley Council took over Dudley Geographical Society's fossil collection to create a museum, which opened in 1912,
The Brooke Robinson collection, bequeathed to the town by its former MP, was moved to the museum in 1979.
