St Modwen gains consent for £40m Dudley Zoo project

St Modwen has gained consent for its £40m mixed-use redevelopment of Dudley Zoo and Castle in the West Midlands. Castle Hill Dudley, a joint venture between St Modwen, Dudley Council and Dudley Zoological Gardens, has gained outline consent following three years of consultations and negotiations. Work is scheduled to start at the end of the year on the complex, which will comprise a tourism complex based around medieval castle ruins, a zoo and Victorian gardens. The scheme will also include 43 shops and 65 homes, a pub, motel and food and drink outlets. The project will create around 650 jobs and will see the construction of a Midland Metro stop and an internal railway. Derek West, development director of St Modwen, said: “This is fantastic news following on last month’s announcement by Advantage West Midlands that it is to provide £5m towards the project. “The only outstanding issue is the resolution of a commercial agreement between Castle Hill Dudley Limited and the Zoo Trust, which is already the subject of advanced negotiations.”