The transformation of Dudley is continuing apace after a town centre building dubbed “blot on the landscape” was earmarked for demolition.
Derelict office block Cavendish House, which has become a towering, ugly landmark off the Dudley Southern Bypass, will be flattened in the coming months.
And in its place, council bosses have confirmed a new supermarket, will be developed to help boost the whole town and create hundreds of jobs.
The 60,000 sq ft building had been on the market for £2.5 million but had attracted little interest.
Council bosses say they have chosen the Cavendish Quarter development as it offers the greatest opportunity to ensure existing town centre businesses benefit from the new store.
This comes a week after the Post revealed Point North in nearby Brierley Hill had been bought, and was being turned from offices to apartments. Elsewhere, work on three new college buildings in Dudley and the £6 million market place regeneration is underway
Coun David Sparks, leader of Dudley Council, said: “The reason we have chosen the Cavendish site is that it will link in well with the town centre and benefit existing businesses. This is a hugely significant part of a multi-million pound package of developments for the town which has also included new Dudley College buildings as well as the current work to significantly upgrade the Market Place.”
Cllr Judy Foster, cabinet member for regeneration, said that in reaching its decision on the site for the store, the close proximity to the town centre and its ability to contribute to the wider development of the town’s retail offer, had been one of the key considerations.
“We now look forward to seeing this important site in the town transformed for the benefit of everyone who lives or works in Dudley,” she said.
