Latest on major new housing plans for Sunniside area of Sunderland city centre

People living near the site of a planned new residential community in the heart of Sunniside are being invited to have their say.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for 75 new homes at a site bound by High Street West, Villiers Street, Coronation Street and Nile Street.

Housing plans for the city centre site have been in the pipeline for some time, with developer TOWN revealing how the transformed site could look and formally submitting planning proposals earlier this year.

The planning application recently went live on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website, allowing people to view documents and have their say as part of a consultation process.

The project, which is referred to as the “Nile + Villiers community”, aims to reinstate two streets demolished in the 2000s which were historically home to printers, cabinet makers and textile workers.

Plans aim to establish both sustainable homes and up to 10 ground floor units for commercial businesses, learning and other groups, with an aim of establishing a “creative living and working neighbourhood” in the area once again.

The project, which was conceived with local community organisation Back on the Map working with TOWN and Create Streets, is understood to be supported by over £4 million of Levelling Up Fund investment.

Developers say the project is a key element of a 10-year place strategy for the Sunniside area, which aims to encourage the growth of new and existing creative industries, increase the residential population and bring under-used buildings and spaces to life.

The applicant for the Sunniside housing project is listed as Siglion Developments LLP, part of the council-owned regeneration company Siglion which is involved in developments at Riverside Sunderland, Seaburn and other city sites.

A planning and heritage statement submitted to council officials notes the Sunniside scheme would provide 60 two-and-three-bedroom dwellings on part of the site for “private market rent in a mix of terraced houses and maisonettes”.

There would be open space to the rear of the dwellings to provide “communal space for residents incorporating paths, trees and ornamental planting, raised beds for food-growing, informal play space, communal storage for waste and refuse, and sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) infrastructure”.

The part of the site incorporating the former 19-21 Nile Street, which has been demolished, would incorporate five homes for private market rent in a mix of terraced houses and maisonettes.

Meanwhile, the part of the site bounded by High Street West, Nile Street, Villiers Street and Little Villiers Street would include 10 dwellings, and “up to 10 units of retail, office or community space”.

Developers have previously confirmed that 65 of the dwellings on the site would be acquired by built-to-rent specialist Placefirst, with others being sold to local buyers.

It was noted that the development would include a “community energy microgrid providing residents with clean affordable energy” and shared gardens, as well as being cycle-friendly.

This includes “150 cycle parking spaces for residents, with secure cycle parking within their rear gardens”, according to planning documents.

A new “mixed-use building” would also recreate the frontage to High Street West to help the scheme “sensitively integrate” within the Old Sunderland Conservation Area.

The planning and heritage statement confirms the development does not include the provision of affordable housing, with a viability assessment submitted to support this.

Viability issues include the “abnormal costs” associated with the brownfield site previously occupied by industrial buildings and the higher build costs linked to “sustainable design”, and it was argued that the housing scheme would act as a “catalyst for future development in the area”.

Plans also confirmed that no private car parking spaces would be provided “within the curtilage of the site” due to the “sustainable scheme in a highly accessible area”.

However, it was noted that future residents would be able to purchase a permit(s) to park in council-operated multi-storey and off-street car parks.

The planning and heritage statement adds: “The proposal would bring significant benefits in terms of delivery of new homes and the appropriate reuse of a brownfield site on a sustainable site close to the town centre.

“As a result of their sustainable design, the homes are likely to offer lower heating and other energy costs compared to existing or conventional new build homes.

“The development will bring further footfall to the area through the occupation of 75 homes and the provision of additional commercial space which will help to support the vitality and viability of the town centre”.

A decision on the planning application will be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of July 26, 2024.

Subject to planning permission being granted, construction could start on the council-owned site later this year with the first properties potentially being occupied in 2026.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/00562/FU4