The prolonged saga surrounding the failed sale of the former Dudley Leisure Centre is now entering its third year without resolution.
On December 8, Dudley Council’s Audit Committee was informed that the awaited report concerning the authority’s £1.6 million agreement with developer Amarjit Dhanda to purchase the vacant Wellington Road site remains unavailable. This external report, commissioned from auditors Grant Thornton, was intended to clarify why the planned deal fell through and why details were announced publicly before completion.
Dating back to the 1970s, the Dudley Leisure Centre closed in January 2022 upon the opening of the new £18 million Duncan Edwards Centre on New Mill Street. The old facility then stood idle as Dudley Council sought a developer to revitalize the 5.7-acre site.
READ MORE: Walsall Residents Urged to Voice Concerns Over Green Belt Development
READ MORE: Midlands Car Wash Forced to Demolish Unauthorized Building Following Council Orders
In April 2024, Council Leader Cllr Patrick Harley disclosed an agreement had been reached with Wellington DLC, a firm led by Stourbridge-based entrepreneur Amarjit Dhanda. Mr. Dhanda pledged a £25 million investment aimed at constructing 150 new homes on the site. At the time, Cllr Harley expressed optimism: “I’m delighted to be doing business with a developer who wants to come and invest in our town centre.”
The agreed sale price of £1.65 million was publicly announced during a council debate in the same month. However, only two months later, Dudley Council withdrew from the sale, placing the site back on the market. Deputy Chief Executive Balvinder Heran clarified, “While it is correct to say the council had agreed in principle to the sale, no contract was signed, and therefore no legal commitments existed.”
The council accused Mr. Dhanda of failing to provide required documentation within the stipulated timeframe, a claim he vehemently denied as “simply false.” This collapse led to growing calls for a thorough investigation. Labour’s finance spokesperson, Cllr Shaukat Ali, demanded transparency, stating, “Rather than having money in the coffers, we have more questions. I expect a report at the audit committee giving full details.”
By February 2025, the council confirmed the site had been sold to Halesowen-based developer Revelan for £1.7 million, but public pressure mounted for the release of the Grant Thornton report.
In August, then Audit Committee Chair, Cllr Karl Denning, voiced frustration over delays, noting, “We were promised it in November, then at the end of January, and later at the end of July.”
Further insight emerged in October when the Local Democracy Reporting Service disclosed an email from June 2025 indicating the council received the report in January but additional work was needed for “clarification on broader issues.” A Freedom of Information request later revealed the council did not possess a finalized report and could not confirm its content or even its existence.
The latest update, delivered at the recent Audit Committee meeting, revealed the report remains incomplete. Grant Thornton has been waiting since January for responses from the council to further questions, adding to mounting frustrations.