£2million refurbishment of Wetherspoon's Cooper Rose pub will create new roof terrace

The Cooper Rose in Albion Place will be closed for more than four months while the work is carried out.

The Wetherspoons venue will shut its doors on Monday, June 21, and is scheduled to reopen on Monday, October 25.

Plans to create a roof terrace at the pub have been in the pipeline for the last six years.

Planning permission was initially given to utilise the roof of the building as an external terrace in 2015, but that consent subsequently expired and a second application for a roof terrace was granted in July 2018.

The company has since been given planning permission for changes to the plan.

A Sunderland City Council report says: “The majority of the works involve the re-positioning of tables and chairs and this would have no significant material impact beyond that formerly agreed.

“The primary changes manifest in alterations proposed to the toilet block and food servery. The toilet block whilst broadly retaining the same footprint, would now be pushed away from the western boundary and is to be set slightly forward of its previously approved position.

“A new drinks servery utilising a hoist would now be positioned adjacent to the north western corner of the roof top.

"The new servery (demarked as a food servery on the proposed floor plan) would now take the form of a more substantial form of development presenting as a flat roofed building rather than the more lightweight structure previously agreed."

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said the scale of the scheme showed how important Sunderand was to the firm: “The Cooper Rose is a very popular pub and our aim is always to give our customers the best possible pub,” he said.

“We believe that the roof garden will be an excellent addition to the pub.

“The investment of £2million highlights our commitment not just to the pub and its staff and customers, but also to Sunderland itself.

“Hopefully this will act as a catalyst for further investment in the city.”

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