From the huge new buildings taking shape as part of the £500m Riverside development to bringing old buildings back to life on the seafront, there’s plenty to look forward to in the city. Here’s a round up of some of the new additions coming soon.
5. New bars and hotel, Keel Square
A new £18m Holiday Inn has been built in Keel Square to cater for visitors to the city. Beneath it, there's four large hospitality units set to open next year. The Botanist and The Vaulkhard group, who own bars such as The Town Wall and The Bridge Tavern in Newcastle, have already announced they will be opening in the city, with two more to be confirmed. Photo: national world
6. Beachfront bar, Roker
The team behind the rebirth of the historic Vaux brand have been given the green light to transform an empty seafront shelter into a beachfront bar. Business partners Michael Thompson and Steve Smith have already had great success in buying the Vaux name in 2019 to bring a host of new beers to the market from their brewery at Roker Retail Park, as well as the city’s only taproom, which opened in summer 2021. Now, they plan to breathe new life into the empty Victorian shelter on Marine Walk, Roker, to help complement the seafront’s burgeoning nighttime economy. Rather than a Vaux bar, the new addition will have its own identity and is set to open next summer. Photo: Frank Reid
7. Artist studios and creative business units, The Norfolk Hotel
The landmark Norfolk Hotel is set to enter a new chapter with a major £500,000 investment to bring the Victorian building back to life. Dating back to the mid 1800s, with a new entrance created in 1900, the building, in Norfolk Street, Sunniside, has a long and colourful history in the city, from the building where SAFC was created at a meeting in 1879, to its time as a grand hotel, the site of many weddings, and, in more recent years, as a hostel. Work is due to begin to turn it into artists studios and units for creative businesses, as well as a cafe. Photo: Stu Norton
8. Maker and Faber, Riverside
Two new office blocks are rising on Sunderland’s skyline. The steel framework of Maker and Faber is visible on the Riverside Sunderland site. Between them, the buildings will provide 150,000 sq ft of office space and hopefully become ‘home’ to thousands of workers. Maker is a six-storey building that will bring 80,000 sq ft of office space and is set to be completed first. Faber will stand five-storeys high, delivering 70,000 sq ft. It will be home to 400 staff from RSA, one of the UK’s largest general insurers, who announced their plans to move into the city centre earlier this year. Photo: Stu Norton