Tombola's plan for £5million HQ hits the jackpot

On-line bingo giant tombola's plans for a £5million new head office in Sunderland have clicketty-clicked with planning bosses.
A view of tombola's new 5million HQA view of tombola's new 5million HQ
A view of tombola's new 5million HQ

Work is due to start shortly after planning permission was granted by Sunderland City Council.

Tombola’s new 25,000sq ft. building will be next to its current headquarters, the Rose Line Building at Wylam Wharf.

How tombola's Wylam Wharf site will lookHow tombola's Wylam Wharf site will look
How tombola's Wylam Wharf site will look
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Tombola is working with Newcastle-based Ryder Architects on the three-storey building.

"We’re delighted to have been given planning permission and are keen to make a start on our new HQ," said director Mike Cronin.

"We’re hoping to create the best possible working environment for the tombola team."

The company is planning a riverside campus that will incorporate both old and new buildings and a landscaped area.

How tombola's Wylam Wharf site will lookHow tombola's Wylam Wharf site will look
How tombola's Wylam Wharf site will look
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The main entrance to the new office will be off Low Street within the landscaped area and the development will also include improvements to the river frontage, including a ramped connection to Riverside Walk.

The ground floor will include a large café overlooking the Wear, as well as a reception area and employee gym , while the first and second floors will be office space. An atrium will provide natural light throughout the building.

The company currently employs 140 people at its Rose Line Building and in other nearby office space – with a further 180 people working from home. Some of these employees will

be moved into the new building.

Both tombola and Ryder’s want the new building to complement its surroundings, as well as providing a link to the area’s shipbuilding heritage.

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The Rose Line Building is a former bonded warehouse, dating from the late 1700s and one of only two warehouses surviving in what was formerly a densely occupied commercial quayside area.

The architects see the new building as a contemporary twist on the traditional design of a bonded warehouse.

It is hoped work will start within a few weeks and be completed by October next year.

The news comes a week after tombola announced it is to create dozens of new jobs on Wearside.

The firm is is planning to extend its software development workforce by a further 80 people as part of an ambitious growth strategy.

The gaming giant already employs 310 people in Sunderland.