Plans submitted to develop 265 new homes in Sunderland on old Civic Centre site

Vistry Partnerships Ltd has made a planning application to deliver an attractive, landscaped residential community, that will replace the civic centre which is no longer in use following the opening of City Hall last month.

The North East developer hopes to develop an exciting new neighbourhood of city centre homes along with high quality public open spaces and a network of cycling and pedestrian links to the rest of the city.

Andrew Rennie, Development Director with Vistry Partnerships North East, said: "Taking another step towards delivering this exciting project before the end of the year is an exciting development. We are confident this will be instrumental in improving housing choice, employment opportunities and will regenerate a key, high profile site in Sunderland. "

The development will provide improved access to nearby Ashbrooke and Mowbray Park. Vistry has said the development will be “sensitive to the parkside location and the Ashbrooke Conservation Area”.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “The former Civic Centre site represents an exciting development opportunity and Vistry’s plans maximise it, delivering an attractive new residential community with plenty of open spaces that will allow people from neighbouring communities to pass through to make their way into the city centre.

“We’re working hard to double the residential population in the city centre because we know this will make a step change in the area and deliver upon the social and economic objectives in our City Plan.

“We’re delighted to see Vistry pushing ahead with its plans.”

The new properties on the Civic Centre site are part of a wider plan to build more than 7,000 new homes across the city by 2030. The Council hope this will ensure that Sunderland has the “volume and variety of homes it needs to attract and retain a diverse range of residents”.

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Vistry, which is already delivering a housing scheme in Ayton, Washington, was named preferred developer earlier this year and has been working with the community to shape its planning proposal for the area.

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