Merry Hill is an out of town shopping centre.
- Located west of Birmingham, 10/15km from central Birmingham, south of Dudley Hill
- Main section built from 1984-89 and is still ongoing extensions
- Touchwood shopping centre made from competition
- 50ha, 10 screen cinema, 2 floors, car park – 10,000 spaces
- 185 shops and kiosks, two supermarkets, 24 catering outlets – 2,200 seats e.g. M&S
- 3rd largest centre after Bluewater and The biggest Metro Centre
- 21 million customer visits a year in a catchment area of 3 million
- Bus station en route to many places e.g. Birmingham and Wolverhampton
- Waterfront building opposite overviews canal with bars and restaurants
- Previously railway underneath, failed due to safety and problems over ownership
- Enterprise zone in 1980’s made planning easy
- The area it was built on was over the steelwork industry factory and Merry Hill farm and wildlife area, even though it received many complaints and protests
- The building was so big that the canal was shut off for a while due to safety concerns
Reasons for success
- Close to highly populated cities (conurbation)
- Easy access from M5 motorway with buses and A roads
- One of the enterprise zones and people took advantage of planning conditions
- Need for jobs and business in the area
- Plenty of space, including both Brownfield and Greenfield
- No other shopping centres in the West
Impacts
Positives
- Many new easy jobs made
- Large area for eating shopping and for entertainment
- Unique and larger shops led to the multiplier effect
- Friendly and cheap
- Variety of shops in one place
- Dry, warm, clean
- Policed well
- Over 4,000 new jobs compared to 1,200 at steelworks
- Compacted area reduced sprawl
- All types of people can shop there, including elderly and disabled
- Free parking
- Trying to turn more eco-friendly now
- High streets and other businesses trying harder for work
Negatives
- Destroyed Merry Hill farm, the steelworks, wildlife and green space
- Temporary access restriction on canal
- Many people protested
- Many stores in surrounding area knocked out of business e.g. 70% of Dudley, whole M&S left and moved to Merry Hill
- Increased pollution and traffic, especially in that area
- Mainly accessible by car
- Loss of jobs at certain areas
- Cycle of decline
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