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
Chartwell Shopping Centre in place. The grand opening of the refurbished Westfield was scheduled for Thursday, 7 December 2006, but the opening of the Skycity Cinema was delayed until Thursday, 17 May 2007. In January 2010 Westfield Chartwell committed NZ$33million towards another upgrade, which was completed in October of the same year. This expansion included a new two level Farmers department store and the opening of several new stores. In November 2015, Stride Property announced they would be purchasing the Chartwell Shopping Centre from Scentre Group. It had agreed to pay $445 million for the Westfield Queensgate shopping centre in Lower Hutt and