£8m scheme to save Dudley Hippodrome
A businessman has unveiled his £8 million plan to reopen Dudley Hippodrome, claiming he would create an entertainment complex better than rival venues in Birmingham and Manchester.
Jonathan Kendrick, co-founder of The ROK Group, says he will create a multi-purpose venue with moving stages to host a wide range of events from pop concerts to snooker competitions.
His proposal also includes an exclusive 'unlimited' auditorium, which would mean people unable to make shows could watch performances via a pay-per-view Hippodrome mobile app.
Mr Kendrick made his fortune selling mobile phone services and a beverage and health and beauty company.
See also: Deadline looms in bid to save Dudley Hippodrome.
The Wolverhampton-based businessman has pledged to work alongside campaign group Friends of Dudley Hippodrome on the ambitious project.
Campaigners today said they were encouraged after talks with the ROK group following a joint tour of the venue this week.
Mr Kendrick, aged 56, was this week shown around the inside of the venue by council officials.
See also: Ken Dodd pledges Hippodrome concert.
Dudley Council has already received a 28-page proposal for the site from his company Events That Rok.
It is not the first time he has been in the Hippodrome – his father Vic Kendrick owned it in the 1960s, attracting the likes of Walker Brothers and The Kinks to grace its stage.
Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star, Mr Kendrick said: "I think Dudley is a diamond in the rough, where outside London do you have a great art deco zoo, a castle and a museum based on the industrial revolution with superb motorway access?
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"It really is unique and with a new Hippodrome we could create a major visitor attraction, better than Manchester and better than Birmingham."
He added: "Our plan is to strip it out and create a multi-purpose venue so it's not just for shows.
"It will accommodate many different events and we plan to put in moving stages so we can host any live performance.
"Personally I hope to stage musicals, the live sporting events like our snooker and top rated chart bands who can stream their performances worldwide."
Under plans for the scheme, the auditorium would be remodelled for a moving stage and seats to provide traditional sloped seating or a flat floor area for live concerts with a standing audience.
There would also be the capacity for conferencing and weddings at the venue.
Early concerns over parking have been solved thanks to discussions with Dudley Zoo, according to Mr Kendrick. But Mr Kendrick, who was in the Top 50 Rich List for Birmingham this year, said he was becoming frustrated at the speed of progress on his plan.
He said: "It has been frustrating, and it wasn't helped by the new elections taking place.
"We submitted our proposals months ago, and met with the zoo owner to agree a strategy to solve the car parking. Even now we're only just being allowed in to view the premises. We are also aware of quite a bad asbestos issue that needs to be solved.
"Our patience as a company is running out so we are now looking for some action and decisions from the council. We represent the most viable future for the Dudley Hippodrome."
See also: Landmark Black Country theatre one of most 'at risk'.
Friends of Dudley Hippodrome group member, Gaz Sawers, known as Black Country Gaz, today welcomed the news on the ROK group's plans. "It is a futuristic idea at the moment and I like it as they have talked to us about the plans," he said.
"People need to think outside the box. It is the first time that I have met Mr Kendrick to talk to them about this.
"They seemed very genuine."
Dudley Council councillor Judy Foster has given both the Friends and the ROK group until the end of October to submit revised business plans to reopen and operate the venue. The council have put planning applications for the demolition of the theatre on hold in the meantime.
But Councillor Foster says a decision on the Hippodrome's future must be taken by the end of the year to avoid further deterioration of the building.
She added: "Council officers met with representatives from The ROK Group on Monday before their site visit to the former Hippodrome.
"It was agreed that additional information required for their proposal would be submitted to the council by the previously agreed date of the end of October.
"The council has been working with The ROK Group over the last few weeks to arrange a date for them to access the building and meet with council officers and Monday was the first mutually convenient date."
