An eyesore building in the centre of Dudley will finally be demolished to make way for an entertainment complex.
The blot on the landscape will be flattened after the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership board approved a proposal to award more than £600,000 to send the bulldozers in.
The decision will need to be rubber-stamped by the Black Country Executive Joint Committee, when it meets in January, but is expected to get the go-ahead.
The demolition is expected to happen in the early part of 2019 and has been dubbed an “early Christmas present” for borough residents by Dudley Council leader Councillor Qadar Zada.
He said: "This is absolutely fantastic news that I am sure will be welcomed by everyone who lives in the borough.
"Cavendish House has long been an eyesore, a blot on the landscape.
"Now we have managed to secure an agreement in principle we will look to push on as quickly as possible to make sure it is demolished.
"The plans for the site are really exciting and we want to make them a reality as soon as possible."
Council bosses are now looking to press ahead to quickly clear the way for ambitious plans for the derelict site.
The cash - £664,725 in total – will fund the first phase of the Portersfield development scheme to cover the demolition of the building, plus the former B&Q and disused scout hut buildings nearby.
It will kick-start an £82 million transformation of the site which will see new shops, apartments, bars, restaurants, a health club and a cinema and hundreds of jobs created.
When complete, Portersfield will link in with the proposed new bus station and connect with the planned £343 million Midland Metro extension through the town.
