Dudley Zoo has revealed its plans to build a brand new visitor centre as part of a huge redevelopment plan.

Plans submitted with Dudley Council shows the site next to the Castle Hill Conservation Area and the new Brierley Hill to Wednesbury metro extension, transformed into a modern visitors centre.

Currently occupied by a series of maintenance and workshop buildings, the new building will include a welcome and exhibition area, several new education spaces as well as access to the Stores Cavern Mine tunnel.

The new visitor and education centre will also provide hospitality and breakout spaces, a lecture theatre, two education zones as well as an educational laboratory.

Storage for artefacts and educational objects, a library and a ‘bridge link’ to the zoo compound will also be included.

In a design and access statement, a representative for Dudley Zoo said: “The Discovery Centre is currently used for this purpose, but the building no longer provides adequate facilities.

"To replace the Discovery Centre, Dudley & West Midlands Zoological Society is now proposing to build a new education centre which will provide purpose-built spaces to meet modern educational requirements.

“The main use of the building will be as an educational resource for school-aged children, but other education workshops will be offered and the new facility will also provide a meeting and conference space outside term time and school hours."

“It will replace existing sub-standard facilities with a new high-quality building which is economically and environmentally sustainable.”