Merry Hill Shopping Centre closing in June 1990. A further blow came when the local council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough, announced that it was bringing in parking charges throughout the area; this turned more shoppers away from local town centres, and towards the Merry Hill Centre, where parking remains free. Though there have been plans for introducing parking charges at the centre, this has been criticised, ironically, due to fears of impacting trade. In 2008, Merry Hill Centre, along with nearby Brierley Hill, was redesignated as the 'strategic town centre' of the Dudley Borough, and thus the focus of future local government investment. The Merry
Frenchgate Shopping Centre injuring one of the building workers from the site. The extension and transport interchange opened to the public on 8 June 2006. Frenchgate Shopping Centre The Frenchgate Shopping Centre (Formerly Arndale Centre & Whitehouse Centre) is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster. The centre has been the heart of the town for over 40 years and was originally called the Arndale Centre because it was built, owned and managed by the Arndale Group.