Maine Stays Journal · Local guide
The Waterfront, Brierley Hill: offices, food and the canal
The Waterfront is the office, leisure and marina complex beside Merry Hill, built from 1989 on the site of the Round Oak steelworks. It holds bars and restaurants, Black Country Radio's studios and West Midlands Ambulance Service's headquarters. It is about 2 miles by road from our house, The Merry Hill Lounge.
Built on steel
The Round Oak Steelworks closed on 23 December 1982. Building on the steelworks site did not start until 1989, when work began on the Waterfront as the later phases of the Merry Hill development.
Those phases brought 69,700 square metres of offices, the first occupied in December 1990, 6,500 square metres of restaurants and bars and a 15,800 square metre business park finished in 1995. Waterfront Way opened in December 1990 to link the complex with the shopping centre and the A461 between Dudley and Stourbridge.
Ups and downs
The Waterfront created some 4,000 jobs. The recession that began in 2008 saw many businesses leave. Around half of the office units stood empty afterwards. A bid for enterprise zone status in 2011 was turned down.
Things changed in 2017, when Dudley Council launched DY5, its Business and Innovation Enterprise Zone, with the Waterfront as one of its six sites. Businesses moving in could receive up to £55,000 of business rate relief a year for five years.
What is there today
Around the marina are bars and restaurants, the studios of Black Country Radio and the headquarters and control room of West Midlands Ambulance Service. The Dudley No 1 Canal runs through the Waterfront and along the edge of the shopping centre before dropping down Delph Locks.
Down the Delph Nine
Follow the canal past the Waterfront and it drops down Delph Locks, known locally as the Delph Nine. There are eight narrow locks today, rising from the 356-foot level of the Stourbridge Canal to the 441-foot level of the Dudley No 1 Canal. They opened in 1779. In 1858 the middle seven of the original locks were rebuilt as six, which is why nine became eight. Look out for the waterfall overflow weirs beside each lock.
The flight reopened in 1967 after the Dudley and Stourbridge canals were restored by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Society working with the British Waterways Board.
The Waterfront in DY5
Dudley's latest figures for the DY5 enterprise zone, of which the Waterfront is one of six sites, put its impact at 970 new jobs and 120 new businesses, with 18,892 square metres of floor space refurbished and 37,716 square metres of new floor space built. Not every plan landed: the West Bromwich Building Society intended to move its base to the Waterfront in 2012 before shelving the idea.
The tram is coming
Dudley Council's route plan for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension includes a Waterfront stop. The tram line's final section is designed to serve the Waterfront business park and Merry Hill before ending in Brierley Hill. The Midland Metro Alliance says trams will reach Merry Hill in 2028.
Staying close by
Our house, The Merry Hill Lounge, is about 2 miles by road from the Waterfront, with free off-road parking and room for up to 10 guests. It suits teams working in the Waterfront offices as well as visitors to Merry Hill.
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
- Wikipedia: Merry Hill Shopping Centre
- Wikipedia: Round Oak Steelworks
- Wikipedia: Brierley Hill
- Wikipedia: Delph Locks
- Black Country Radio, 25 April 2019
- Dudley Council: Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension
- 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
What is at the Waterfront in Brierley Hill?
Offices, a business park, bars and restaurants around a marina, Black Country Radio's studios and West Midlands Ambulance Service's headquarters.
Will the Metro stop at the Waterfront?
Dudley Council's route plan includes a Waterfront stop. The Midland Metro Alliance says trams will reach Merry Hill in 2028.
How far is The Merry Hill Lounge from the Waterfront?
About 2 miles by road from the house.
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.