Merry Hill Shopping Centre and local council leaders have stated their aim to better connect and integrate Merry Hill with the traditional town centre of Brierley Hill. The Dudley Canal was re-routed in the late-1990s, and between 2002-2005, housing has been developed around the complex (several apartment blocks opposite the cinema as well as apartments and houses overlooking Pedmore Road). A new line of the West Midlands Metro tram system was scheduled to reach the site in 2011, but has been delayed indefinitely. In July 2017, plans were revealed to expand the centre to include more restaurants and to open a new Odeon cinema
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.