Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Plan for new road to link zoo and museum
Friday 1st January 2010, 10:30AM GMT.
A new link road between Dudley Zoo and the Black Country Living Museum could be built to help boost visitor numbers while a stalled multi-million redevelopment gets back on track.
The link road scheme, which could be completed before the end of the year, also includes a large car park which would be shared by both attractions. It is hoped it will help kick-start a planned revamp of Castle Hill which has been on hold since developer St Modwen backed out last February.
Dudley Council wants to increase visitor numbers at the sites to more than one million a year and is seeking funding for the redevelopment, which would include a revamp of Dudley Zoo.
The cost of the road project is not yet known as plans are still in the early stages but bosses want the road to run from near The Trading Post premises in Castle Hill to the back of the museum in nearby Tipton Road.
The car park would then be located between the two sites to encourage people to visit both attractions.
The road would mean visitors could bypass the busy Castle Gate Island when travelling between the two sites.
Deputy leader of Dudley Council Councillor Les Jones said: “We are looking to increase the combined visitor numbers for both the zoo and museum from 580,000 to over one million.
“The only way we are going to do that is if we offer more attractions and that’s why we want to develop Castle Hill. The road is part of these plans and is something we want to get started on fairly soon, I would hope within the year.”
Councillor Jones added the timescale of the work would depend on the progress of work at Burnt Tree Island where a junction with traffic lights is being created. “We don’t want to be causing disruption in Tipton Road at the same time as there is disruption at Burnt Tree,” said Councillor Jones.
The council is still in talks with potential investors, including Advantage West Midlands, about financial backing for the ambitious Castle Hill redevelopment.
Plans for the leisure scheme have been on hold since St Modwen pulled out last February.
Sponsored Links
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Some of the money should be spent on the market area in the town centre. Restore the shop fronts and try to restore some of the ‘old Dudley’ atmosphere before it disappears completely. It is an old town in walking distance of zoo and museum so you could have three centres of attraction for visitors instead of two and the locals would have a town or village again.
Report abuse
The zoo & museum will always attract visitors Simon is right more money should be spent revamping the town. I used to enjoy going to Dudley but what does it offer now? The recently closed gala bingo should be restored back to a theatre. Dudley council have some very nice ideas but in reality the money they waste could be so much better spent in other areas of greater need.
Report abuse
Isn’t there already a road from the zoo round to the castle?
Report abuse
I have to agree with most of the other comments
the money needs spending in the town centre
Priority has to be a new supermarket to get shoppers back in the town centre. with parking charges dropped for the weekends
and opening up king st again to get traffic flowing through the town centre again
Friends of Dudley town centre
Report abuse
This “Big Castle complex” has been on the drawing board for so long, it will soon be as old as the Castle itself! I agree with the comment that there is already a very good road between the zoo and the castle, perhaps transport along it would be better. Horse drawn coaches, or an old fashioned tram. I remember the old trolley buses that ran to Wolverhampton, how about reviving one of them? Then the money could be spent on reviving the town. We seem to have this weird idea in the Black Country that tourists just magically appear. You have to give them something to come for first! I live in a lost part of Spain, nowadays, but my “local town” holds a Medieval Festival that would put many places to shame (sorry, Ludlow!)and it draws people in from all over the country. Why is it that the Black Country never draws on its own heritage and uses it to generate revenue?
Report abuse