Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)

2. Dudley

Introduction

2.1 This chapter sets out how Dudley Town Centre will develop and change over the plan period. A vision for the town centre is set out, which will be delivered through the Local Plan policies and site allocations (up to 2041).             

2.2 Dudley Town Centre lies within the Central Growth Regeneration Corridor which covers Dudley, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge, following the proposed new Metro line route. This new rapid transit network will provide first class access to the rest of the Black Country and to Birmingham. The Local Plan expects that development in this corridor will focus on housing development in and around the rejuvenated market town of Dudley, combined with a tourism focus of regional and national repute based on the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Zoo, Dudley Castle, the Canal Trust and the geological and heritage assets in and around the town centre. It is also intended that the corridor will have an excellent green infrastructure through enhanced green spaces and parks as well as increased biodiversity and improved links into such areas as Wrens Nest National Nature Reserve. The town will be a key place to work and invest in. Its regeneration will reinforce and reinvent a sense of place and local identity.

The Dudley Town Centre Inset Plan Boundary

2.3 This inset chapter covers Dudley's Town Centre and its Conservation Area and encompasses the Castle Hill area and its Conservation Area, which includes Dudley Castle and Zoo; The Black Country Living Museum; the Dudley Canal Trust and Priory Hall and Park to the west of the Castle. A wider area than the designated town centre boundary has been identified to capture the special landscape and historic character of the area. The Castle Hill area has a globally unique cluster of heritage attributes that ensure this area's future profile and success in the visitor economy. It is therefore of great importance to ensure they are connected physically to the town centre.

2.4 Castlegate Park (out of town retail and business park) lies just outside the Inset Plan boundary (to the east of the Castle Hill area) and offers a range of leisure, office and hotel facilities. Whilst it lies outside the Inset Plan boundary the improvement of links and connectivity between Castlegate and the town centre is encouraged, particularly with the forthcoming Metro stops that will be located in this area alongside the A4037.

Key Features of Dudley Town Centre Inset Plan Area

2.5 Large parts of the inset plan area fall within the Dudley Town Centre and the Castle Hill Conservation Areas. There are three Scheduled Monuments (SMs) and the Priory Park Registered Park and Garden. The town has benefited from recent investment in the restoration of historic buildings and the public realm (via the National Lottery Heritage Fund). Further information on heritage assets is provided in the Historic Environment policy section below.

2.6 The town of Dudley is a very special and unique place in terms of geology. Just outside the Inset Plan area is the UK's first National Nature Reserve for geology (Wrens Nest NNR). Most of the towns' historic buildings take their appearance from the hard pale limestone of Dudley and its cobbled stones in older byways come from nearby hills. This geology has given the town a very distinctive character of hills and valleys. The topography has clearly influenced the physical layout and historical development of the town centre. This is described in detail in the Dudley Urban Historic Landscape Characterisation study (UHLC) and in the Conservation Area Character Appraisals for Dudley Town Centre and Castle Hill.

2.7 Closely located to Dudley Town Centre is Castle Hill Woodland, which is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) for both its geological and nature conservation value. This site and the immediately adjacent Peggy's Meadow Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (SLINC) provide an important natural green space and wildlife corridor linking into nearby Wrens Nest NNR.

2.8 The town is home to a 'learning quarter' focused on the modern Dudley College facilities within the centre. The Very Light Rail Innovation Centre adjacent to the Castle Hill area provides a unique research facility alongside the new Black Country and Marches Institute (to address regional Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills shortages). With a new Higher Education complex at the former Hippodrome site to be completed, the Castle Hill area will also be a key learning hub for the town.

2.9 Dudley Castle, together with Dudley Zoo, the Black Country Living Museum and the Canal Trust, Town Hall and their connections to adjacent attractions and amenities including Wrens Nest NNR, define Dudley as a key tourism/visitor centre. These attractions, in connection with the other 40 or so geologically significant sites across the Black Country form the core of the Black Country Global Geopark. This initiative aims to raise the profile of the area's visitor economy to help to support and underpin those very aspects that make Dudley and other areas of the Black Country unique.

2.10 The Castle Hill redevelopment scheme (being undertaken in Phases) has already delivered new visitor infrastructure to Dudley Zoo, The Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Archives and Dudley Canal Trust and the intention is for this to continue with future phases (see further information below under 'Dudley Town Centre and Surrounding Areas- Preferred Uses').

2.11 There are three public parks within the Dudley Town Centre inset plan area which offer different landscape characteristics: these are Priory Park, Coronation Gardens and Inhedge Gardens. Priory Park contains the medieval Priory of St James (a Scheduled Monument and Grade I Listed Building) and Priory Hall (Grade II Listed Building). The park was added to the National Register of Parks and Gardens in 2002 and restoration work via Heritage Lottery Funding has been undertaken in recent years. Coronation Gardensprovide an attractive formal green space reflecting the civic focus (outside the Council House) and contain the Apollo fountain and Dudley War Memorial. Inhedge Gardens(also known as Horseley Gardens) formed part of large houses with ancillary buildings, which were joined up as part of Horseley House by 1904. This links into the Opportunity Site at the Trident Centre and improvements here would greatly enhance this part of the town.

2.12 Formal sports and leisure provision is available at Priory Park (pitches), via the newly completed Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre, and the indoor sports hall on Tower Street constructed as part of Dudley College Evolve Building.

2.13 Dudley town centre has no direct access to the rail network, however, the forthcoming new Metro line will significantly enhance the connectivity of the town centre to the wider Black Country and Birmingham area as well as within the town centre area itself i.e., stops throughout the town and associated pedestrian/public realm connection improvements. Alongside this, the redeveloped bus station will provide a modern transport interchange, enhancing capacity and the experience of sustainable transport into the town centre.

2.14 Retailing remains an important function of the town, including the outdoor market. Reflecting national trends for town centre retail its role has however declined in recent years. It will be important for a wider range of town centre uses and residential developments to come forward to contribute to the town's vitality and viability.

Vision and Objectives

2.15 The following specific objectives for Dudley Town Centre are identified:

1. To support and encourage investment within the town centre by building on the success of recent development projects; the refurbishment and renewal of town centre buildings and the public realm; and maximising the benefits of the forthcoming Metro links and new transport interchange.
2. To continue to develop Dudley as a tourism and leisure destination, utilising its historic assets and integrating the Castle Hill area into the town centre.
3. To continue to develop Dudley's educational offer, providing access to higher education opportunities whilst helping to stimulate activity within the town centre and raising its profile.
4. To encourage and facilitate further residential development within the town centre to help stimulate activity both during the day and in the evening and support the growth of a vibrant community.
5. To ensure that the special character and quality of Dudley's historic environment is fully appreciated and that this is exploited to its best advantage.
6. To protect and improve access to Dudley's unique landscape and natural assets including the Castle grounds and surrounding areas and beyond to the Wrens Nest National Nature Reserve.
7. To provide, protect and enhance a well-connected landscape and public realm setting of streets, routes and public spaces that is attractive, safe, lively, and pleasant to use.
8. To ensure the delivery of high quality and innovative design that respects and enhances the unique features of Dudley town centre.