A SEVERE blaze at an historic former glassmaking factory in Wordsley may have “thrown a spanner in the works” of plans to turn the site into a major tourist attraction.

The former Stuart Crystal site in Camp Hill has been earmarked as a potential site for a new state-of-the-art glass museum to ultimately replace Broadfield House in Kingswinford and complement the Red House Glass Cone on the other side of the road.

But fire ripped through derelict listed buildings on the old Stuart site on May 12 sending black smoke billowing across the road and raising fears of a possible collapse.

Eight fire engines rushed to the site and rush hour traffic was diverted while up to 50 firefighters worked at the scene from around 5.40pm until midnight.

The buildings, believed to be Grade II listed, have since been made safe but the blaze may have upset plans to redevelop the site as a tourist hotspot.

Councillor Les Jones, Dudley’s new council leader, said: “If the buildings are unsound they may well have to be pulled down then it raises all sorts of questions as to what happens next.”

He said the council was still waiting to hear exactly how much it would cost to turn the site into a museum but he added: “The building was ready to equip. It’s in-keeping and its exterior appearance would have fitted very nicely but that fire has really thrown a spanner in the works.

“I don’t want to write off the plan. I think it’s a great scheme; I would like to see it happen but this may push it further into the future.”

David Freer, a director at Complex Developments which owns the site, said the buildings have been securely fenced off and he has been asked by the council to have an independent structural survey carried out.

But he stressed “the buildings are not in imminent danger of collapse” and he said all efforts would be focussed to saving the listed units.

Work to determine the full extent of the damage and whether demolition maybe necessary is expected to begin next week.

An inquiry has been launched to discover the cause of the blaze.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at Brierley Hill Police Station on 0345 113 5000.