Dudley social club where Robbie Williams' father performed set to be turned into shopping complex
A Black Country social club where Robbie Williams' father was once a star turn will be converted into shops and housing if plans are approved.
Plans have been submitted to Dudley Council to redevelop the former Cradley Labour Club at Wilson Hall, in Colley Gate, to create two new convenience stores, a cafe, and four flats.
The club, which used to be known for its live music events, once featured a show by Pete Conway, the father of global pop star Robbie Williams.
But the building has been lying empty since the club closed in 2021, and two neighbours have written in support of bringing it back into use.
The plans are for a 4,000 sq ft supermarket, and a neighbouring convenience store covering about 1,500 sq ft of floorspace. A third unit, covering about 1,800 sq ft, would be used as a cafe. Three flats would be created on the upper floors, with a fourth one at ground level.
Paul Harris, of Vista Planning, said the alterations to the building would be minimal.
"In the main, it is limited to the insertion of curtain-wall glazing to create the shop frontages, the addition of some modern cladding and the repointing of the brick work with a lighter mortar to help ‘brighten’ the elevations," he said.
Mr Harris said the building stood in almost three-quarters of an acre, and included an existing parking area.
Two residents have written letters supporting the plans, although the one did express some concerns about a posible impact on road safety.
The proposals will now be considered by Dudley Council planners.
The Labour club was officially opened by Home Secretary Jim Callaghan in June, 1968. Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was performing official duties at the time of the opening, made a private visit to the club some weeks later for a pint with the locals.
As well as live music, it also held boxing competitions and bingo nights
It closed in 2021, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, and was sold last year for £300,000, to a company that was expected to turn it into a sports bar.
In recent yeas it has fallen into disrepair as a result of a number of vandal attacks.
