Extension on cards for Merry Hill

A NEW restaurant and leisure extension is set to be built at the Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley.

Owner Intu is in the early stages of drawing up plans for the 100,000 sq ft extension which would broaden the food and drink offer from its revamped food court area which opened a few years ago.

These latest plans form part of a much wider £110 million regeneration of the Black Country hub after Intu acquired the centre in its entirety last summer.

Earlier this year, the company announced it was working with Transport for the West Midlands in a new-look bus station while luxury watch brand Tag Heuer has opened there.

The measures are aimed at giving the centre a facelift and mitigating against the recent departures of names such as Sainsbury’s, BHS and Early Learning Centre.

General manager Dan Murphy said: “Our plans to build a leisure extension at Intu Merry Hill are still at a very early stage but will form an important part of our long-term commitment to enhance the centre’s leisure offer and retail mix.

“We will be introducing a number of exciting changes and improvements during this time and look forward to announcing these in due course.”

A planning application for the extension is due to be submitted by the end of 2017.