A PREFERRED site has been revealed as part of plans to bring prestigious Eton College to Dudley to give hardworking youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds a chance to excel academically.

Dudley Council is looking to clear part of a council car park in Stafford Street to allow the college to be built, the authority has revealed.

A major review of car parking in the area looks set to be agreed to look at minimising the impact of the loss of car parking spaces in the town.

Castle Street had been earmarked but has now been rejected due to the costs of clearing the site.

Eton College and Star Academies have agreed to open three selective sixth form colleges in the state sector in the next five years, with Dudley being one of those. Middlesbrough and Oldham are the others.

The new college will welcome up to 240 pupils per year.

A report is set to go before the council’s cabinet on Wednesday March 20 outlining the proposals.

It asks councillors to reject Castle Street in favour of Stafford Street and prepare the site for building work. It also asks for a review into the impact on car parking to establish alternative parking for people visiting Dudley.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: “These are exciting proposals and I am delighted that we look to have identified a site that is suitable for the building of this first-class educational facility.

“The Stafford Street site makes sense because it provides a great location in the heart of Dudley. Priory Street was a lot more complicated in terms of making the site available for alternative use.

“There’s a lot of work to be done before we can progress though as we look to establish what impact this will have on car parking. We have spent years supporting local businesses by providing free car parking for two hours and I want to make sure that we have considered the detailed impact of losing car parking spaces here.

“We must have a clear look at that and ensure there is ample parking for people visiting Dudley.”

Each new college will be part of the Star Academies multi-academy trust and will focus recruitment on young people on free school meals, in receipt of the pupil premium, or living in particularly deprived areas.