Opening of STACK Seaburn delayed after Storm Francis hits Sunderland

STACK has been delayed due to Storm Francis

Strong wind and rain has whipped through Wearside in recent days and it’s affected the final construction work of the shipping container village on the site of the former Seaburn Centre.

The site was due to open on Friday, August 28, in time for the Bank Holiday Weekend, but that has now been put back to 5pm on Friday, September 4.

All those who had booked slots for the first week will be able to rebook and will be offered food and drinks vouchers as compensation.

Owners Danieli Holdings said: “We regret to announce that we have been forced to make a very difficult decision and will be postponing the opening of STACK Seaburn to Friday 4 September at 5pm.

"Everyone working on the project has gone above and beyond to bring everything in on time for the Bank Holiday weekend, but due to a number of extenuating circumstances this is no longer going to be feasible.

"We appreciate that people who have already booked will be very disappointed and will need to change their plans last minute.

"To compensate for the inconvenience caused, anyone who has booked can choose a date and time to rebook in September (subject to availability) and will be given a food voucher and one drinks voucher for each person in the original booking. Customers who have booked will be contacted directly with more information on re-booking.

"The main cause for the delay is due to the tent structure and the current weather conditions. There is a weather warning now in place as a result of Storm Francis, which could see torrential rainfall and unseasonably strong winds across the North East from today through to the weekend.

"These conditions make it impossible to erect all of the stretched tents, which cover the majority of the scheme, and provide shelter from the elements to STACK customers, in time for the weekend."

The build was already considerably delayed due to the pandemic and had originally planned to open in May.

All the food and drink units have now been taken, many by Sunderland businesses, such as Downey’s Fish & Chips, Chapos Tacos and Farah’s Italiano. The majority of the lifestyle units are also taken, with only a couple of retail containers left.

The spokesperson added: “Delivering the scheme on time, for the Bank Holiday weekend, was always a tight schedule, but having put this back from the planned opening in May due to lock down, we really wanted to get open so that people could start socialising again in a safe open-air environment.

"We are devastated that STACK Seaburn won’t be opening this weekend, but we have to act in a responsible way to ensure the health and safety of our contractors, staff and customers.

“We look forward to welcoming you to STACK Seaburn in the coming weeks and being able to give you the best possible STACK experience.”

A message from the editor

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.