Work to start at Dudley Town Hall next month
Work on a revamp of Dudley Town Hall to include a new bar and bistro is set to start next month, it has been revealed.
Dudley Council’s ruling cabinet will be told at a meeting next week that a contractor has been selected to undertake the work - and a provisional start date has been set for October 11.
It is hoped it will be completed by spring 2022.
The bar and bistro will be accessed off Priory Street using the Memorial Tower entrance, with plans to also create an outside seating area for continental style drinking and dining during the warmer months.
The new facility will generate additional income for the council by providing an additional outlet selling drinks and refreshments for people attending shows at the St James’s Road venue.
The plans also reveal that council bosses plan to open the new bar and bistro every day to the public and not just when shows are on at the venue.
Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member responsible for borough halls, said:
This is an exciting development for the town hall, and for Dudley town centre as a whole, so I’m delighted to hear that work is soon to start on making it a reality.
The existing bar at the town hall is too small, so our plans will give patrons more options of drinking and dining within the town hall before, during and after our shows.
We need to maximise the hall’s revenue opportunities to ensure it remains a viable venue in the future, and this will help us to do that.
The tender for the refurbishment was won by J R Slee, a Shrewsbury-based company which specialises in work on listed buildings.
The development will be discussed at the next meeting of Dudley Council’s cabinet. It is due to take place on Thursday September 23 from 6pm in Committee Room 2 at Dudley Council House in Priory Road.