Plans to redevelop a huge section of Sunderland’s high street for potential new offices, leisure spaces, shops and apartments are due to be decided next week.

Sunderland City Council’s planning and highways committee will discuss and vote on an outline planning application for “mixed-use development” at 56-90 High Street West.

The application site covers four “development plots”, including the Sports Direct store and adjacent Dicksons premises, the vacant former Marks & Spencer site, the now demolished former Argos and Mothercare site and the “West Walk” retail unit adjacent to the Holiday Inn.

The city centre buildings have been earmarked for changes for some time as part of the council’s Riverside Sunderland regeneration scheme and a formal planning application was submitted back in summer 2025.

A collage of CGI images of how redeveloped High Street West could look. Credit LDRS

placeholder image — A collage of CGI images of how redeveloped High Street West could look. Credit LDRS

Plans sought permission in principle for the “demolition of the existing buildings (full or partial)” and the demolition of the pedestrian bridge connecting High Street West with St Mary’s Multi-Storey Car Park, as part of a package of public realm improvements.

The council also sought outline permission for the principle of mixed-use development across the four development plots with the “detailed design” for each site, such as appearance and layout, set to be determined in future via the “reserved matters” planning process.

Council documents said proposed “multi-storey blocks” had been designed with flexibility in mind, with upper floors accommodating either commercial office space for businesses, or apartments to boost the city centre population, along with wider retail, food and drink uses.

Floorspace for each proposed use is not fixed to allow the development to “respond and evolve to market demand” and planning documents confirmed a number of development options were being considered around the level of commercial and residential uses.

CGI images also show the M&S building facade incorporated into a redeveloped building as the council’s “preferred approach”, subject to the “outcome of a viability appraisal at the detailed design stage”.

But documents submitted with the application acknowledged there may be a situation where this is “not feasible nor structurally possible.”

Council planning officers have recommended the outline plan for approval and a decision is due at a Planning and Highways Committee on Monday, March 30, at City Hall, which starts at 4.30pm.

For more information, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference 25/01696/LOU.