Sunderland councillors approve plans for £10 million industrial park with drive-thru coffee shop and up to 150 new jobs

At a meeting this week, Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee approved proposals for the development on vacant land off Commercial Road near the Raich Carter Sports Centre.

According to developers, the scheme is expected to create up to 150 jobs.

The Hendon site was once the home of business Littlewoods Home Shopping Group and over the years several attempts have been made to redevelop the land.

This included plans for a builders’ merchants with trade counters approved by the city council in May, 2019, however, the development failed to materialise with planning permission expiring.

New plans for the vacant site from Promenade Park Properties aim to create a £10 million development with new industrial units and a drive-thru coffee shop.

Plans submitted earlier this year proposed seven buildings for general industrial, storage and distribution or light industrial uses, with 19 units proposed in total across the seven industrial buildings on site.

In addition, the plans included a drive-thru coffee shop with associated access, including modifications to the access onto Robinson Terrace and an internal roadway, as well as self-contained electric vehicle charging facilities.

City councillors discussed the plans at a meeting of the Planning and Highways Committee on October 30, 2023, with council officers recommending the development for approval.

After being put to the vote, committee members voted unanimously to approve the application.

Councillor Michael Dixon said the area of Sunderland, which runs alongside a major road in and out of the city, had been “slightly embarrassing” and a “blot on the landscape for many years”.

He added: “The development is great news and I very much welcome this for the city and for that part of it as well”.

Councillor Iain Scott said the area would benefit from the development as well as “taking unused brownfield land back into use”.

Cllr Scott continued: “Ultimately at the end of the day it’s going to provide jobs for Sunderland.

“Sunderland is a winner here so I’m more than happy to support the application”.

Councillor Ciaran Morrissey, committee member and Hendon ward councillor, also welcomed the plans.

He said: “As the ward councillor for this area I would like to concur with the other comments.

“It’s a fantastic long overdue piece of development and it will really assist with the redevelopment of the area.

“I look forward to it providing jobs to local residents and helping with the redevelopment of the area”.

Despite the proposed coffee shop being based on allocated industrial land, council planning officers deemed the development acceptable on balance.

It was noted that the coffee shop would be “complementary” to the development by “providing somewhere to visit whilst charging an electric vehicle or more generally for staff and visitors to the proposed industrial units”.

In terms of sustainability, it was also noted that there would be roof-mounted solar panels on the industrial units and the canopies for the proposed charging station.

The plans have previously been welcomed by councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, who described the site as an “untapped opportunity” to create more space for businesses.

This week’s planning decision is “subject to the conclusion of discussions” with the council’s ecology officer and any potential ecology conditions that are required.

Under planning conditions, the development must be brought forward within three years.