Could Dudley regeneration area be site for new football ground?

A football stadium could be included in plans to regenerate a derelict site in Dudley town centre, say opposition leaders of the council.

Councillor Shaun Keasey, deputy leader of Dudley Council’s opposition Reform group, has called on the authority to commission a feasibility study into the possibility of building a community football stadium as part of the Portersfield regeneration scheme, which includes the site of the former Cavendish House office block.

In July this year, developer Avenbury was granted outline planning permission to build 256 flats on the site, opposite the town’s much delayed £24 million bus and tram station. Planning permission had also been granted to turn the former Empire Tavern - later the Metro Bar - into a supermarket, although council leader Councillor Patrick Harley has since said that social housing would be his preferred use for the site. Council-owned land on the corner of Hall Street and Trindle Road also forms part of the wider regeneration area.

Councillor Keasey said a community football should be considered alongside potential residential and retail development, as part of wider efforts to regenerate Dudley town centre.

He has submitted a motion to next month’s meeting of the council, asking the cabinet member for neighbourhoods to investigate the proposal.

Councillor Keasey said the stadium could provide a permanent home for Dudley Town FC, which has not played its home games in the borough since it left The Dell stadium in Brierley Hill eight years ago.

He said it could also accommodate youth football, rugby, community sport and potentially academy and reserve fixtures for established league clubs.

Councillor Keasey said the feasibility study should also explore opportunities for complementary residential and retail development around the stadium, creating a wider mixed-use scheme that could attract private investment, provide new homes, support local businesses and help breathe new life into this part of Dudley.

He said: "Dudley is a proud town with its own football club, yet we don't have a dedicated football stadium in the town. I believe we should explore whether Portersfield could provide that opportunity.

"But this isn't just about football. A community stadium so close to the town centre could bring hundreds, potentially thousands, of additional visitors into Dudley on matchdays.

"Those visitors could use our shops, pubs, restaurants and public transport, generating much-needed footfall and supporting existing businesses while encouraging new investment.

"Combined with potential residential and retail development, a stadium could become a genuine catalyst for the regeneration of Dudley town centre."

He has been backed by Reform group leader Councillor Marco Longhi, who while Tory MP for Dudley North in 2023, led a campaign for Dudley Town FC to return to its home town.

Councillor Longhi said this was something the club and its supporters have wanted for decades.

"I'm delighted that we are now looking at a potential opportunity that could not only achieve that ambition but also deliver wider benefits for Dudley.

"A community stadium could bring people, investment and renewed activity into our town centre. It's an opportunity that deserves serious consideration.”

Councillor Keasey added: "We're not asking the council to commit to building a stadium. We're asking for a proper feasibility study to establish whether it is practical, financially viable and capable of attracting private investment.

"Dudley needs ambition, and if this proposal could help bring football home while revitalising our town centre, surely it's worth investigating."

Dudley Town was founded in 1888, and played at The Sports Centre - now the site of Castlegate leisure and business park - from 1932 to 1985, when the stadium was forced to close due to subsidence.

After three years ground sharing with Stourbridge FC, the Robins moved to a new permanent home at the Round Oak Stadium in 1988.

The club folded in 1988, and Round Oak became a David Lloyd sports centre, and the club has since had a nomadic existence, variously ground sharing with Gornal Athletic, Stourbridge FC, and most recently, Sporting Khalsa in Willenhall.

Dudley also played at The Dell Stadium for 11 years, from 2007 to 2018, but left after problems with matches being disrupted by badgers digging up the pitch.

The motion will be tabled for discussion at the next meeting of the council on November 2.