THE site of the former Dudley Leisure Centre has been sold to make way for 150 new homes.

The vacant property, owned by Dudley Council, closed in January 2022 and was on the market for redevelopment.

The 5.75 acre site on Wellington Road has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Wellington DLC Ltd, the company plans to spend £25m building a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes.

Wellington DLC’s CEO, Amarjit Dhanda, said: “I know the area well, Dudley is my local council and I hope to do more deals for our developments.

“It is exciting times for Dudley, this is a mix of private and social housing to cater for all.”

Mr Dhanda paid tribute to Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, for his part in securing the deal which attracted attention from more than 40 potential developers.

He said: “The project has received considerable support from the local authority with Cllr Harley showing a strong commitment to seeing this concept come to fruition.”

Dudley Council is aiming for around 450 new homes to be built near Dudley which the authority believes will help to regenerate the town centre.

Cllr Harley said: “I’m delighted to be doing business with a developer who wants to come and invest in our town centre, it shows our regeneration plan is working.

“It is an element of building footfall into our town centre, people will make use of our shops and market place and breathe new life into Dudley.

“It should help us to attract more investment.”

Stourbridge entrepreneur Mr Dhanda, who has already tasted success as the man behind the Rummantic Drinks brand, nearly passed up on the opportunity to acquire the leisure centre site.

He said: “In early February, we submitted our initial bid. Following that, there was a call for the final and best bids to be in by noon on February 16. 

“I was initially reluctant to engage in a competitive bidding situation and considered not participating. 

“However, just one minute before the deadline, I placed another bid, thinking I couldn’t resist.”