Maine Stays Journal · Local guide
Brierley Hill regeneration: from the High Street to the Metro
Brierley Hill won £9.98 million from the Future High Streets Fund in 2021 towards a £45 million programme. High Street works began in January 2023 with completion later moved to March 2025 because of Metro delays. Trams are due to reach the town in 2028.
Why Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill grew up in the woodland of Pensnett Chase and expanded quickly after the chase was enclosed in 1748. Glass and steel made its name. When the Round Oak Steelworks closed in December 1982 unemployment in the town reached 25%, and the steelworks site and the farmland beside it became the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and the Waterfront.
Since 2008 Brierley Hill has been the Dudley borough's strategic town centre, which makes it the focus of the council's investment. The name comes from the Old English for the place where the briar rose grew, a woodland clearing and a hill.
How the town is governed
Brierley Hill became a separate civil parish in 1894. Its urban district grew in 1934 when it took in most of Kingswinford and Quarry Bank. A bid for borough status failed in 1952. On 1 April 1966 the district was abolished and merged into Dudley, Stourbridge and Warley. Since 1974 the town has been part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough.
The 2021 funding
In February 2021 Dudley Council won £9.98 million from the government's Future High Streets Fund, part of a £45 million programme that also drew £1.8 million from the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme. Councillor Patrick Harley said the grant signalled the start of a brighter future for the town.
The plan covered High Street works to link the town with the new Metro terminus, improvements to the Moor Centre, a refurbished library, reopened public toilets and the development of a long-vacant site known as Daniel's Land. It also set out 270 homes on and close to the High Street to bring more people into the centre.
What the works covered
A £5 million improvement programme started in January 2023. While it ran, part of the High Street, from the Venture Way junction to the Bank Street junction, became one-way, with temporary bus stops near the Level Street car park and outside the college on Venture Way.
In February 2024 the council approved £3.5 million of the work in detail: more than £1.7 million to improve links between the High Street, the Waterfront offices and Merry Hill; £384,000 for routes to St Michael's Church and Marsh Park and improvements to the Level Street car park; more than £500,000 to upgrade six historic buildings; £114,000 for Marsh Park; £175,000 for the Moor Centre square; £20,000 of new library furniture and meeting rooms; and £100,000 for a Changing Places toilet for wheelchair users.
The Metro link
The High Street works were planned around a tram stop. When the West Midlands Combined Authority postponed the Metro link to Brierley Hill High Street, the deadline for the town works was moved to March 2025. The Midland Metro Alliance now says the extension will reach Merry Hill in 2028.
Staying in Brierley Hill
Our house, The Merry Hill Lounge, is in Brierley Hill, about 2 miles by road from Merry Hill and the Waterfront. The town is also home to Bathams brewery on Delph Road. Its Civic Hall on Bank Street hosted several of Slade's first concerts in the early 1970s.
Where to stay: The Merry Hill Lounge
- Four bedrooms and a sofa bed, sleeping up to 10
- Two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a washer dryer
- Free off-road parking with room for vans as well as cars
- 500 Mb Wi-Fi and a private back garden
- Bills included, with up to 20% off stays of 28 nights or more
Sources
- Dudley Council, 10 February 2021
- Black Country Radio, 29 February 2024
- Black Country Radio, 8 January 2023
- Wikipedia: Brierley Hill
- Midland Metro Alliance, 11 July 2025
Sources checked on 6 October 2026. Road distances are measured on OpenStreetMap from the house, The Merry Hill Lounge, on 6 October 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
How much is being spent on Brierley Hill?
Dudley Council's 2021 programme was worth £45 million, including £9.98 million from the Future High Streets Fund and £1.8 million from the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.
When will trams reach Brierley Hill?
The Midland Metro Alliance says the extension will open to Merry Hill in 2028.
Is The Merry Hill Lounge in Brierley Hill?
Yes. The house is in Brierley Hill, about 2 miles by road from Merry Hill and the Waterfront.
Your Black Country stay,
sorted.
The Merry Hill Lounge: a whole house in Brierley Hill for up to 10, with parking, fast Wi-Fi and every bill included.