Dudley Hippodrome could be saved

Any parties who want to take over the derelict Hippodrome, which was last used by Gala Bingo six years ago, had until Wednesday to tell planners they were interested.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said the authority was not yet sure if the schemes were viable however.

Councillor Ahmed said: "The council has received six enquiries, but we do not know as yet how viable some of these expressions of interests are.

"We will continue to work with these groups to see how viable and deliverable their business plans are and we will be making a decision on this building once and for all by the end of the year."

Gordon Downing from the Friends of Dudley Hippodrome group cautiously welcomed the news.

"We want the hippodrome to leave a legacy for future generations of people in Dudley," he said.

"We've been pegged back so many times it's hard to know what to think."

The Rok Group, led by Wolverhampton businessman Jonathan Kendrick, pulled out of on an £8 million takeover of the venue this year - claiming senior councillors had failed to met them to discuss the proposed deal.