A TOWERING Dudley eyesore that was set to be demolished and replaced by a supermarket complex is now up for sale.

Cavendish House, a derelict former office block, will go under the hammer at an auction in London after the owners Cavendish Quarter Properties Limited – a subsidiary of Abstract Securities Ltd – called time on the project as "the supermarket world is not what it once was".

The transformation of the shabby high rise building formed part of the wider Porters Field development, which aims to bring a mix of leisure, food, drink and general retail units and apartments into the rundown area of the town.

Christopher McPherson, Abstract's development director, explained that "for various reasons" plans for the property, which was purchased in 2006 for around £2million, "never got under way".

He continued: "We have had a number of enquiries from people who have asked what we were doing it with it, who say they are potentially interested in refurbishing the building, so we though long and hard about this and in order to put an end to the matter, we have put the building up for auction.

"It's very disappointing for us, we had a fantastic scheme there and for a moment in time it was very exciting and workable but for whatever reason it didn't progress as quickly as needed, things have now changed and we are moving on."

The property is being auctioned by London based property consultancy Allsop, on October 20, at the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair, with a guide price of between £1.25-1.5million.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said he was made aware of the auction "late last week".

He said the sale would not affect the regeneration of the area, adding: “We are continuing our work with the developers to bring forward the proposals for the top end of Dudley town centre.

"There are several land owners to speak to as we piece together a scheme that will bring jobs and investment to the area, and the sale of Cavendish House will be an opportunity for early discussions with the new owners about the transformation of the area.”

However Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the Dudley Conservative Group, has blasted the council for "failing to show the leadership, drive and energy required to move the regeneration of the Cavendish Quarter along at a pace that would satisfy any of the council's partners".

He said: "In the time it has taken to deal with this one building and the surrounding area other organisations such as Dudley College, the zoo and other partners have got on with the task of breathing new life into Dudley town centre.

"To date the number of new projects that have come forward under this Labour council have been few and far between."

Cllr Ahmed disagreed with Cllr Harley, adding: "During the last three years we have delivered for a range of regeneration projects in Dudley that he could not even dream about and we have done all this against a backcloth of draconian government reductions in funding and a hostile economic environment."

Cllr Ahmed said negotiations around Cavendish Quarter were "complex, involving millions of pounds worth of investment" and were "very much influenced by external private companies, land ownership and economic factors well beyond the council’s control".

He continued: "That said we are in positive negotiations with developers over the site and we are confident of a successful outcome."