Dudley Hippodrome to be bulldozed in shock plan

New proposals to knock down the historic theatre have been unveiled by Dudley Council - despite a lengthy battle by campaigners to see it restored to its former glory.

Council bosses want to pull the theatre down and replace it with an outdoor exhibition area.

It marks the latest - and perhaps final - twist in the long-running saga to try to bring the historic building back into use.

The former Hippodrome and bingo hall in Castle Hill would be bulldozed with a sweeping open public space in its place, under the council's plans.

Councillors will be asked at a meeting next Thursday (December 3) about whether to submit a planning application for the site.

The move comes just weeks after interested parties were given the chance to put forward proposals to redevelop the venue - but these applications failed to convince council planners.

If the new vision gets the green light by cabinet the scheme could potentially be heard by a planning committee next year.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said the authority had acted as it needed to 'draw a line under' the uncertainty surrounding the hippodrome.

However, the Labour-run council's latest move has been criticised by both campaigners hoping to save the historic venue, and opposition councillors.

Gordon Downing, chairman of the Friends of Dudley Hippodrome, said: "This is absolutely diabolical.

"The council are pushing things through as they think they can get these things through.

"To come out and pronounce it like this is disgraceful.

"If they think we're walking away from this without a fight then they've got another thing coming."

UKIP Councillor Paul Brothwood, said: "I am desperately disappointed that a more cost effective solution has not been found and I believe this is disastrous news for taxpayers and the borough's proud heritage.

"Repairing the landmark hippodrome would be far easier than using expensive contractors to remove the asbestos which would have to be disposed of if demolition took place."

A fresh effort to find new backers for to redevelop the site saw six expressions of interest raised in taking on the under-threat venue.

Only the Friends of Dudley Hippodrome submitted a business plan before the October deadline.

However, an assessment of the Friends' scheme by an independent consultant found it had a number of 'significant gaps in the information provided' including costs and financial projections.

Councillor Ahmed said the council had considered a number of proposals for the reuse of the building in the past five years, but all alternatives had failed.

He said: "This has been a long-running issue and we have fully explored every suggested alternative use submitted so far.

"But after giving people every opportunity we need to draw a line under this.

"The cost of securing the building is also hitting taxpayers in the pocket and we cannot continue to bear the costs of consultants to appraise unviable projects, or indeed to help us to conduct safe access to the building as a result of its serious asbestos issues.

"We now need to look at better uses for the site.

"The public open square proposals could provide a range of uses from events and exhibitions to links to the many tourist attractions we have at Castle Hill.

"Not only that, it could open up views of the castle as people arrive at such a vital gateway to the borough."

The hippodrome building would be knocked down and replaced with the expanse of open space - bringing to an end the long-running wrangle over its future.

The building has stood empty since it closed as a bingo hall in 2009 and has not been used as a theatre since the 1960s.

The council bought the building in 2010 and launched plans to demolish the buildings as part of a tourism masterplan linking the zoo with the town centre.

However, the plans were halted to listen to groups who asked for the chance to look at alternative uses for the building - which has been ongoing for five years.