Building works nearing completion at Sunderland's £3million Sheepfolds Stables development

There's not long to wait until Sunderland can check out one of the city's most-exciting new venues.

Transforming the empty, forgotten, stable block at the far end of Sheepfolds Industrial Estate has been a real labour of love for Sunderland-based architecture and engineering firm Building Design Northern (BDN).

But the major construction works at the Grade II-listed site, once used to house working horses from the former North Eastern Railway Co, are now only weeks away from completion.

It means the food, drink and arts businesses which will call the new destination venue home will be able to get started on their fit outs, with the whole development due to open early this summer.

Among those moving into the site will be The Calabash Tree, bringing a taste of Trinidad and Tobago to the banks of the Wear.

Over the past few years, owner Ryan McVay has built up a firm following for his Caribbean dishes, including brisket, curried chicken, rice and peas and more with pop ups across the region as well as at his Cove Caribbean take away in Washington.

"As soon as I walked through the entrance at the Stables I wanted to be a part of it," said the businessman. "When I first started out this business, I thought I'd open a restaurant in Newcastle in the future. But what's happening in Sunderland is really exciting and it's great to see.

"The city is flourishing and Sheepfolds Stables will be a big part of that. The location is amazing overlooking the Wear right next to the Stadium of Light - I can't wait for match days here."

Other food and drink businesses in the development include I Scream for Pizza, Asian-inspired restaurant Ember, a whisky lounge and Italian restaurant Vito's Osteria.

BDN will also run a large bar at the site, utilising the old horse stalls.

Entertainment-wise, award-winning Southpaw Dance Company will move into one of the largest units to create studio space, a stage will be constructed for a range of outdoor events and there's multi-use space for weddings, meetings and other functions.

Chef Vittorio Farigu has left his former job as executive chef at Gino D’Acampo’s popular restaurant on Newcastle’s Quayside to open his first restaurant in one of the largest of the Stables units which will house 52 covers.

"I've always worked back of house, but what I really want to do is to create one team of front of house and back of house to enhance the customer experience. So I'll be in my whites on the floor, meeting the customers," he said.

Vito, who grew up in Lake Garda and Sardinia, said: "I really want to create a sense of family in the restaurant, to give people a traditional, authentic Italian experience. We'll be using really great ingredients."

Dating back to 1883, the Victorian buildings which make up the site, including an old horse hospital, were in major need of restoration.

Just some of the works undertaken by the building team since work started in late 2021 include new roofs, new windows, skilled stonemasonry, reinstating a central clock and painstakingly removing and cleaning the original blue glazed cobbles which will be relaid throughout the site.

BDN operations director Ryan Doyle said: "It's been a real labour of love because we wanted to make sure we do it correctly and sympathetically to honour the site.

"The main bulk of construction is very near completion, with the stage due to go in soon. We're really excited to see it all coming together. Whenever we bring people in, they're really impressed with the site.

"Then to be able to say we have delivered it ourselves speaks a thousand words for the team's hard work.

"It's going to have such a varied offering for the city, from food and drink to arts and events and really opens up the north side of the river."

The changing face of Sheepfolds

Footfall is set to be boosted when the new pedestrian bridge is built, which will end a stone’s throw from the stables, linking it to the major developments at the heart of the wider £500m Riverside Masterplan which is changing the face of the city. It's due to open in 2025.

The wider Sheepfolds site is also undergoing major changes with work ongoing at a new Housing, Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA) on the corner of Hay Street. The world-class training centre will educate and upskill local people with the technical skills to build, retrofit and create innovative factory-built new homes. It's already taking shape and is due to open in summer 2025.

In the meantime, a new Esports Arena is set to open this year at the old Audi showroom at Sheepfolds, providing a base from which to host and stream Esports competitions. Sunderland is set to lead on the UK Esports gaming evolution. With an annual turnover of $200bn, the gaming industry generates more money than the movie, music and TV industries combined.

Sheepfolds also plays a key role in the Riverside Sunderland housing community, made up of four sites and 1000 new homes spanning both sides of the river. The Sheepfolds neighbourhood will be the largest of the four, comprising 450 houses and apartments.