Hippodrome at centre of controversy added to buildings-at-risk-list

Dudley Hippodrome is one of 67 new buildings to be added to a buildings-at-risk list.

The Campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage said it hoped the inclusion on its register would help the art deco theatre gain more attention, BBS News reported.

The building last opened as a bingo hall in 2009 and is due to be demolished to make way for a university campus.

A local group is fighting to keep it as an entertainment venue.

The last performer to appear at Dudley Hippodrome was Roy Orbison in 1974 and it is now owned by Dudley Council.

It got planning permission in 2021 to turn the building into a centre for medical students at the University of Worcester. The local authority has been given £25m by the government to build it.

Dudley Hippodrome Friends and Community Group want it to become an entertainment centre with bars and restaurants instead.