£10m grant signals start of brighter future for Brierley Hill, say bosses

Work is set to get under way in the next few months after it was announced that the town was to receive £9.98 million from the new Future High Streets Fund.

The bid, which was headed up by Dudley Council, was one of just 15 in the country to be approved in full.

The investment – part of a £45million programme to redevelop the town centre – is in addition to £1.8m secured from the Government’s Heritage Action Zone programme last year.

Key to the transformation will be works to the High Street to improve connectivity and integration with the new Metro terminus linking Brierley Hill to Wednesbury.

The Moor Centre will be improved and the town library refurbished, while public toilets will again be reopened in the town centre.

The funding also allows for development of long-term vacant land known as 'Daniel’s Land', located between the Brierley Hill Health and Social Care Centre and the Dudley canal which faces down toward Merry Hill.

Part of the plan will be to deliver 270 homes on and close to the High Street to encourage improved footfall and visitor spending.

The total programme will be carried out in phases and it is expected some early works may start as soon as the summer – following a consultation with businesses to minimise any disruption to their trade.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said:

This is fantastic news for residents in Brierley Hill, and really signals the start of a brighter future for the town.

As a council we have already secured massive investment in the area, from the DY5 enterprise zone at The Waterfront to the Metro extension, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

This latest funding will help build on that and start to make a difference particularly in the town centre and the High Street, which is crying out for investment.

This funding will help turn Brierley Hill into a more attractive place to shop, work and live and that is fantastic news for the whole borough.