New development has underlined the popularity of Dudley’s Castlegate Park, after property agents Bulleys sealed a deal for a new casino on the site.
Ground has just been broken for a £12 million new Casino 36 as Ballard Casinos is moving its operations from Castle Hill in the town on to what was the penultimate plot at Castlegate awaiting development.
Bulleys negotiated the sale of the site on behalf of owners Homes England. It was on the market with an asking price of more than £300,000.
Developer Adrian Ballard, who also owns the Casino 36 in Wolverhampton, called in architect Colin Proctor of Development Project Services to work on the scheme.
Bulleys partner Noel Muscutt managed the casino deal, and it follows the opening of a Greene King “Hungry Horse” pub, a brand of Costa Coffee and a KFC outlet over the last few years on land owned by Homes England and developed by Stoford. These have already created around 80 jobs.
Bulleys acted for land owner Homes England on these deals too.
The latest developments underline Castlegate’s increasing popularity as a leisure and dining destination, with the site’s Showcase cinema and restaurants such as Chiquito, Harvester and Frankie & Benny’s, a ten-pin bowling alley as well as a Premier Inn hotel.
Noel Muscutt said: “Stoford and Homes England clearly showed great foresight in their development of restaurant and pub facilities at Castlegate, which has become an increasingly popular leisure destination for families across the Dudley area and further afield.
“The new casino will only add to the attraction of Castlegate, which is clearly seen as site of excellent investment opportunity and we are delighted to have done our part in securing the sale of what will clearly be a very popular destination.”