The decision, if ratified, will mean that the mall and the surrounding area will be treated as a single entity in planning terms, clearing the way for the implementation of the Brierley Hill Regeneration Partnership's masterplan. This includes 1.07 million sq ft of new retail space, almost 3.5 million sq ft of offices and 3,000 new homes.

Tim Sunter, chief executive of BHRP, said there was ample spending power in the area to support development on such a scale, even with major schemes under way in nearby Wolverhampton and West Bromwich. He pointed out that 90 per cent of the Black Country's spend currently leaks out of the region. "The Black Country's four centres can accommodate massive expansion to service the business that's already there," he asserted. "There's underserved capacity right across the region."

Merry Hill owner Westfield has been a member of the partnership since it bought the centre in December 2004. Development executive Steven Hassel said: "We welcome the recommendations set out in the inspectors' report and it is a testimony to the hard work by all stakeholders to promote Brierley Hill and the surrounding region as an area of huge economic growth potential. Our aim, through the BHRP, is to maximise the potential of the area through sustainable development."

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