03-08-2025
Trader says council will not save town centre
A Dudley trader who is facing financial disaster says Dudley Council's regeneration strategy will not save the town centre.
Abigail Wakelam from Castle Crafts in Fountain Arcade is planning to close her shop in the new year after seeing a 75 percent drop in trade because, she says, shoppers find it difficult to get in and out of the town centre.
The 38-year-old, who sells haberdashery, wool and also hosts knitting classes for people of all ages, believes concentrating on big projects does not help dying business now.
Ms Wakelam said: 'By the time the tram is complete we will all be gone, why would people come in if there is nothing to come in too.'
Work on the new Midlands Metro link connecting Dudley to the tram line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton is expected to be complete in autumn 2025 while the new bus interchange is also expected to be complete within months.
Traders say disruption from the work plus the removal of two-hours free parking on council car parks is hitting their business.
Dudley Council's leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, believes the future in Dudley is bright, he said: 'We're on the home straight in terms of the interchange and the metro which will revolutionise transport in Dudley, these will be up and running next year and more projects will fall into place around them.
'We'll be reinstating the blocked paving, introducing new furniture and generally making the gateway to Dudley town centre and Market Place feel really appealing.'
John Green has run a butcher's shop in Fountain Arcade for 35 years, he said: 'Passing trade has gone, there is about 30 percent less footfall in the arcade.
'You have got to have a town with shops, there is nothing to come here for, people come in to get their meat then they go home.'
Ms Wakelam believes authorities need to support the town with promotional events like craft markets, summer shopping events, more celebrations around Christmas, May Day and Black Country Day.
She said: 'I am from Dudley, I love the town, we have got a lot of positives but you need support from the local council otherwise its hitting your head against a brick wall.
'I feel like crying, it makes me angry, there is so much potential.'
Mr Green agrees, he added: 'It could be so different, we have the zoo, Priory ruins, Black Country Museum, we had a lovely museum and a beautiful library.'
Dudley councillor Steve Edwards, from The Black Country Party, is backing the traders.
He said: 'There is investment in the tram and bus but where are people going to catch the tram too – a deserted area?'
Dudley council says Crowdfund Dudley has resulted in £200,000 in grants already supporting ten community schemes in the borough with funding also being used to support more than 30 events in borough town centres including Dudley.
There is also £20m on the way for the town centre from the Plan for Neighbourhoods project and people can have their say on how the cash is spent through a survey on the council's website.
Cllr Harley added: 'This is all alongside ongoing work such as the restoration of our historic buildings, new businesses like Fun City who are currently converting the old Dudley Museum into a major leisure venue, and of course plans for the ice rink which will serve not just the people of Dudley but will draw in people from across the Black Country and wider Midlands region.'
