15 new jobs as old bar to become recruitment agency
A former wine bar in Dudley which has stood in a state of disrepair will be turned into an employment agency creating about 15 jobs.
Merlin's wine bar, Wolverhampton Street, will be repaired under the scheme.
Plans were approved for at a Development Control Committee meeting on Tuesday.
The building currently stands boarded up in the centre.
The plans were put forward by council bosses in a bid to revitalise it.
Councillor Kieran Casey, vice-chair of the committee, said: "I think its a really good application given the current condition it will be a vast improvement on what is there at the moment.
"For employability and skills opportunities I very much welcome this."
Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: "We are in discussions with the Heritage Lottery Fund to look at how this work might be funded and we hope to know more in the summer."
The building is in the town centre's conservation area.
It will see change of use of the building from wine bar to employment agency.
Elevational changes will include a new window, security grills, flue and fascia boards and replacement of windows and the external staircase.
The new employment agency will work off both floors and 'create jobs in the local area'.
Documents state: "The application site has been vacant for 10 years plus. It was acquired by DMBC due to blight created on Wolverhampton Street.
It has been identified in the Townscape Heritage Action Plan as being a building of high priority for the receipt of external grant assistance.
This scheme is looking at undertaking sympathetic repairs and architectural reinstatement and bringing vacant floor space back into use."
The bar originally opened as Merlin's in the early 90s but after hitting troubled times, various plans were put forward.
Proposals to convert it into a sheltered accommodation complex for the elderly were also thrown out in the late 90s.
