Merry Hill Shopping Centre
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| Location | Brierley Hill, UK |
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| Coordinates | 52°28′55″N 2°06′36″W / 52.482°N 2.110°W |
| Opening date | 1985 |
| Developer | Richardson Developments |
| Owner | Jointly Owned: |
| No. of stores and services | 309[1] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 148,000m² (1.593m ft²) |
| No. of floors | 2 (Some shops have extra floors) |
| Parking | 8000 |
| Website | westfield.com/merryhill |
The Merry Hill Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, England. It was built by Tarmac Construction. The first businesses moved into the complex in 1985 and the original centre was fully occupied by 1989. Several expansion projects have taken place since then. Originally the centre was owned by the original developers, Richardson Developments, but it has seen a number of other owners, including Chelsfield and Mountleigh. Its current owners are the Australian Westfield Group and the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).[2] The centre has around 310 stores[1] and a total retail floorspace of 148,000m² (1.593m ft²),[3] making the centre the third largest in the United Kingdom, behind the MetroCentre and Bluewater.
Merry Hill is home to a Odeon cinema and a number of larger shops such as Primark, Next, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. Adjacent to the main shopping site is The Waterfront, which accommodates offices for Virgin Media and HM Revenue and Customs amongst others, and has a marina area providing space for a number of bars and restaurants.
The Dudley Canal Line No. 1 passes though the site.
Features
Monorail
There was an elevated monorail (Von Roll Mk III Series) in operation at Merry Hill from 1991, but this closed in 1996 as a result of a combination of technical problems and safety concerns (especially the difficulty of evacuation), exacerbated by a dispute between the owners of Merry Hill and The Waterfront which at this time were owned separately. The infrastructure has now been removed, but one of the disused monorail stations and part of the old railings can be still seen on the roof of Marks and Spencer. The trains and track have been sold to the Oasis Shopping Centre, in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia, to enable it to expand its own monorail system. Many schools across the country were believed to be including the monorail in their GCSE Geography curriculum. In 2004, information was sent to schools instructing them to no longer include the monorail in lessons despite any references in textbooks.
Cinema
AMC Cinemas opened a cinema at Merry Hill in 1988 which subsequently changed to a UCI Cinemas location when the AMC pulled out of the UK in 1990. It also incorporates an amusement arcade and was refurbished in 2006 following a merger with the Odeon cinema chain. There are 10 screens at the cinema, which was the first multiplex cinema in the Dudley borough and the first new one to have been built for some 50 years.
In almost 20 years since Merry Hill cinema was built, just one other new cinema has been built in the Dudley borough - a Showcase cinema at Castle Gate, four miles away, in 2001.
Between 1990 and 2001, the Merry Hill cinema was the only cinema in the Dudley borough following the closure of the Dudley Odeon and the opening of Dudley Showcase.
On October 9 1988, Merry Hill staged the first drive-in film in the entire West Midlands, when E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was shown on the centre's extensive car parks.[citation needed]
Controversies
Construction
In the 1980s, the Government created a number of Enterprise Zones which gave incentives to firms wishing to set up business in areas which had been affected by a downturn in the manufacturing industry. The Brierley Hill area had suffered the loss of the Round Oak Steelworks, and it was hoped that other manufacturers could be encouraged to move into the area. Incentives included relaxed planning rules and a ten-year period exempt from business rates. Developers saw the opportunity to take advantage of lack of restrictions by making a shopping centre, rather than industrial units originally envisaged as the mainstay of the Enterprise Zone.
The Enterprise Zone encompassed both the former steelworks site and a large open green space known as Merry Hill Farm. This was cherished locally as a haven for wildlife. In 1982, the site was bought by Richardson Developments with the intention of constructing a large shopping centre. There was much hostility when building of the first phase of the shopping centre commenced on the green space, rather than on the former steelworks site. Despite protests from local citizens the site was destroyed, and the first retailers moved onto the site in 1985 when the MFI building was completed. In 1986, the shopping malls and more retail stores were added and the same was done in Phase 3 in 1987. In 1988, a 10-screen cinema was completed at the shopping centre. Phase 5, which included upgrading the malls and adding further stores, was completed in 1989 and in the following year, the shopping centre was sold to Mountleigh. The steelworks site was not built on till later stages of the Merry Hill/Waterfront Project. The Waterfront section, which consisted of Phases 6-8, was constructed between 1989 and 1995. Phase 6 saw the construction of 69,700 square metres (750,245 sq ft) of offices, Phase 7 saw the construction of 6,500 square metres (69,965 sq ft) of restaurants and bars and Phase 8 saw the addition of a 15,800 square metres (170,070 sq ft) business park. Merry Hill had brought about the first free-standing Pizza Hut in the UK, the first drive-in McDonald's restaurant and the largest Texas Homecare store.[4]
This is still an issue of contention: in a real-life retcon histories often merely state that the centre was built on the steelworks, and omit mention of Merry Hill Farm; photographs are cropped to show only the steelworks.[citation needed] Planning consent had been granted by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, some time before the closure of Round Oak Steelworks in December 1982, for the land of the farm to be used for the tipping of steelworks waste and the perimeter of the site had been landscaped with embankments and tree planting to mask the tipping from neighbouring housing. Levelling of the site for the first phase of building not only destroyed the farm, which would soon have been covered by waste in any case, but also removed the new landscaping and threatened the stability of the canal embankment on the hillside above the site. This resulted in the closure of the Dudley Canal to traffic for several years.
Effect on surrounding towns
When the Merry Hill Centre opened, a number of large retail chains decided to move their stores from surrounding towns into the new shopping centre. These included Marks & Spencer, C&A (C&A closed in early 2001) and Littlewoods (which closed down around the same time as C&A in Merry Hill). These left a number of large empty premises behind, which in turn meant many shoppers abandoned town centres for the Merry Hill Centre, which led to a large downturn in trade for those shops remained, affecting their viability. Most affected was Dudley, the largest nearby town, whilst Halesowen and Stourbridge were also hit.
A further blow came when the local council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough, announced that it was bringing in parking charges throughout its area; this turned more shoppers away from local towns, and towards the Merry Hill Centre, where parking remains free.
Dudley Council have nonetheless announced large increases in car parking charges in the rest of the Borough, including Brierley Hill where some charges have increased by over 100%, resulting in conuing rumours that parking charges may be soon introduced at the Merry Hill centre.
After twenty years, local towns have still not been able to compete with the centre, and have become increasingly run-down, though schemes to improve things are occasionally mooted.
The Merry Hill Centre continues to draw most of its trade from local towns. The developers did plan that the Centre would attract visitors from across the country. Coach parks have now had apartments and houses built on them.
Recent developments
The owners and local council leaders have stated their aim to better connect and integrate Merry Hill with the traditional town centre of Brierley Hill. To this end, the Dudley Canal has been re-routed, and a number of new flats and houses have been built around the site, with more expected to follow. A new line of the Midland Metro tram system will reach the site in 2011. A new Primark store opened on May 4, 2007. The newest multi-storey car park at Merry Hill has also been given a high rating by the AA, which means it is one of the best car parks in the United Kingdom. Sainsbury's has had a refit in early 2006 which includes a pharmacy. ASDA and HMV were both refitted in 2007. The brand’s offer is now pulled together into a strong and distinctive environment, clearly signed for ease of navigation. There is an increased emphasis on technology which starts at the entrance, as the windows have been replaced by a plasma screen measuring 1.5 x 3 metres to show the latest trailers, promos and adverts. The rest of the entrance is a strong brand statement with black glass and a wide opening, allowing a clear view into the store. There is a strong rumour than an Apple Store will open.
In addition, the cinema near to multi-storey car park has recently received a major rebrand into an Odeon cinema. The refit, costing over £1 million, has seen the inside of the cinema completely modernised throughout, with brand new seating in all auditoriums.
It is also planned by summer 2010 that a replacement cinema (16-20 screens) will be built on the vacant land behind the existing cinema, along with the construction of numerous other leisure facilities including a bowling alley, comedy club, outdoor performing area, many restaurants and bars and a proposed casino. This "leisure plateau" will begin the integration of Brierley Hill Town Centre with the Merry Hill Shopping Centre offering a direct walk-way between and a Metro link. The entertainment area will be in a newly created public square. Further expansion is expected along the entire canal to turn it into an entertainment district that may even rival city locations. The redevelopment of the centre is intended to achieve high levels of 'green' efficiency, with Merry Hill being the first retail development in the country to be awarded BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) accreditation.[5]
Many local factories and establishments are rumoured to be closing down/relocating (including Link 51, the KFC, all factories Brierley Hill-side of canal) to make way for more modern apartments, multi-story car parks and businesses.[6][7]
Transport
Bus station
Merry Hill has been served by a bus station since about 1986, which gives a direct connections to towns including Dudley, Halesowen, Stourbridge, West Bromwich and Cradley Heath, as well as the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Similarly, the bus services connect the centre to Cradley Heath railway station, for local services to Birmingham Snow Hill and Kidderminster via Stourbridge Junction.
Routes include National Express West Midlands's Routes 222 and many others. National Express routes 246, 311 and 311A stop in nearby Brierley Hill and then a journey on a local bus to Merry Hill or a short walk is necessary
Midland Metro link
The Merry Hill Centre will receive a light-rail link around 2011 or 2012 when the second phase of the Midland Metro is completed. It will terminate a short distance south of the centre in Brierley Hill town centre, and will give direct light-rail links to the towns of Dudley, Tipton and Wednesbury. The final phase of the line will run on a new route around the edge of Merry Hill, though most of the rest of it will make use of the South Staffordshire Line trackbed.
As soon as Merry Hill was first built, there were calls for a heavy rail link to be provided - the nearby line had been void of passenger trains since the mid-1960s. Railtrack announced proposals to reinstate passenger services on the South Staffordshire Line in 1997, but these have since been abandoned.
Events
Celebrity visits
- Boy band Point Break performed their hit record Stand Tough at Virgin Megastore (now Zavvi) in 2000.
- Rosie and Jim and John Cunliffe visited Merry Hill's Sainsbury's store in 1990.
- Singer and 2005 X Factor contestant Chico Slimani switched on the Christmas lights in 2006.
- In 2007, the boy band McFly did an album signing, along with Hard-Fi when the new HMV store was opened on 6 November, while on 15 November, Jason Donovan turned on the 2007 Christmas lights.
Stabbing
In February 2008 at the green car park, a stabbing occurred. This caused major disruption in Merry Hill, while the largest car park, the multi storey, was closed for the investigation. The victim survived, however, no one has been charged with the stabbing. As a result of the incident, security at the centre has been improved, with guards being located at nearly all exits in the centre. [8]
References
- ^ a b "Westfield Group - Westfield Merry Hill (Customer Site)". The Westfield Group. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
- ^ "Express & Star Newspaper - Sell-off at Merry Hill". Midland News Association (Express & Star). Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Westfield Group - Westfield Merry Hill (Corporate Site)". The Westfield Group. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
- ^ David Lawson (1996). "Real estate twins do nothing by halves". David Lawson. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
- ^ "Merry Hill shopping centre wins BREEAM first". MBS. 2004. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "?" (pdf).[dead link]
- ^ "BRIERLEY HILL - MERRY HILL" (pdf). Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2006-08-14. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ Teen stabbed at Merry Hill : Express & Star: