Demolishing Cavendish House will give Dudley 'brighter' future
Leading politicians across the UK have praised plans that will see the eyesore Cavendish House demolished – paving the way for a ‘brighter and better’ future for Dudley.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and former Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley all met outside the former Inland Revenue offices in Duncan Edwards Way to discuss the huge re-development plans coming in the future.
The trio have spoken highly of plans to knock down the ‘monstrosity’ building that is Cavendish House, and replace it with an £82 million retail and leisure development along with new homes.
The demolition will also help pave the way for a new Midland Metro Alliance tram line to be built through the town centre.
Councillor Harley said: “Hopefully once the initial ground works have been completed, within a couple of years from now where we are standing now in this position, the monstrosity behind us will be gone, we will have a brand new fantastic development, and we will also have the metro which will be absolutely key to a resurgence."
Mr Grayling added: “This is great. I mean one of the first things I did as Transport Secretary was browbeat Network Rail into agreeing this was going to become a metro line. That’s now going to come to fruition, the metro is going to come here.”
And Mr Street said: “The Metro investment is central to driving the regeneration of Dudley. The funding is committed and Cavendish House is going.”
Councillors backed plans to demolish the derelict Cavendish House in early April.
The offices, which are seen by thousands of motorists a week using Duncan Edwards Way, have been long been earmarked for redevelopment.
Other buildings nearby to Cavendish House will also be demolished in the process, including the former B&Q building, as part of the multi-million-pound project to redevelop the town centre.
They include the former Rickshaw restaurant, a taxi office, a disused scout hut and the former Metro Bar pub.
Deputy council executive Alan Lunt said Cavendish House – which has been empty since the 1990s – had long been ‘a symbol of decline’ on the landscape in Dudley town centre.
But the plans have drawn criticism from some local businesses, that say the new development will affect their trade.
A date has not yet been set for the demolition.
