FUTURE music heroes could come from Dudley as early as 2018 when a new £31 million college is set to open.

More than 700 students, 600 undergraduate and 115 postgraduate, are expected to be recruited to the classrooms of the new music venue which is hoped to be able to take up residency in Brierley Hill Waterfront's new business and innovation Enterprise Zone in just two years time, despite plans for the zone not yet being approved.

The ambitious music institute project has been backed by Manchester Metropolitan University, proposing the 2018 opening, with more cash coming from Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and the Birmingham Institute of Contemporary Music and Production (BICMP), which has put forward £145,000 and was behind the original idea to create a new 'world-class higher education music venue, in the town.

BICMP hopes to base the institute within an existing building on the Waterfront Business Park, which is due to become a new Enterprise Zone if plans are approved by government in the autumn, injecting around £600 million into the regions economy and creating 7,000 jobs, and create a music village and campus vibe that will attract music entrepreneurs from the borough and beyond and drive education, innovation, enterprise and research.

Manchester Metropolitan University will provide the degree validation and degrees will specialise in performance, production, education, management and composition.

As part of the proposals, Dudley Council has this week agreed to provide £25,000 towards the cost of the development and validation of the degree course.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: “This is fantastic news for the Waterfront, Brierley Hill, the borough and the wider region. First and foremost, it will give local musicians and those keen to work in the music industry the opportunity to get the training and development they need to succeed and secondly it will help create a reputation that Brierley Hill is the focal point of music-making in the region.

“It will give a massive boost to the local and regional economy and we hope it will act as a beacon for attracting other businesses that want to be part of the unique music village. We are really pleased to be part of this exciting and innovative project. The collaborative working between us as partners is exciting, and something and I look forward to.”