Caverns scheme is world-class
A multi-million pound project to transform derelict underground caverns in Dudley into a top-class tourist attraction is of "international significance," a government minister said today.
Tourism minister Shaun Woodward MP said there was a "compelling" case for lottery funding to be allocated to the £50 million project around Wrens Nest and the Seven Sisters caves.
The minister was in Dudley at the request of town MP Ian Austin and took a boat trip into caves known as the Singing Caverns while has was told all about the plans.
After the trip, the minister told the Express & Star he would be giving his full backing to the plans with a ringing endorsement. He said: "This site is not just of local importance, not even just of national importance, but of international significance.
"When you realise that Wrens Nest is one of the five most important geological sites in the world, it makes you realise how important it is for this project to succeed.
"To call it just an attraction is to massively understate its importance.
"It is compelling historically, educationally and scientifically. I would urge anyone to come and see this because it is so exciting and interesting. The case for funding is compelling."
The visit follows a parliamentary question asked by Dudley North MP Mr Austin, who invited the minister for tourism to come to the town to see the contribution the attractions were making to the regeneration of the town.
The scheme is competing against projects, including a desert dome at The Eden Project and a visitor attraction at Sherwood Forest for lottery cash.
