Why you heard bagpipes in Sunderland today: Serenade for topping out ceremony at new Maker and Faber buildings on former Vaux site

Maker and Faber, two new office blacks on the former Vaux brewery site – now redubbed Riverside Sunderland – will create 150,000 sq ft of Grade A room, as well as shop space on the ground floor.

The buildings’ two steel frames are now fully erected – and a ‘topping out’ was held today, Wednesday, February 1, complete with bagpipe accompaniment and master of ceremonies.

‘We need to create more jobs’

Sir Nigel Wilson, chief executive of pension company Legal & General, which is backing the development, joined Sir Andrew McAlpine, partner at construction firm Sir Robert McAlpine to fill in the last square of concrete, before a green bough was hammered to the framework,

Maker and Faber are expected to attract businesses offering thousands of new jobs when they open their doors in 2024 and are part of Legal &General’s £100million commitment to the Riverside Sunderland site, alongside a further £60million to transform the Hilthorn Park area for new economic development.

With the latest report from economic thinktank Centre for Cities having highlighted the need for more quality jobs in Sunderland just yesterday, city council chief executive Patrick Melia said redevelopment of the Riverside site was crucial to the city’s long-term future: “It is very clear as a city that we need to create more jobs, better quality jobs for our residents.

"And it is not just about creating jobs, it is about providing the education and training to allow our residents to access those jobs.

"What we are seeing today is a very clear message to our residents that actually, jobs are being created – there will be several thousand in these two buildings.

"There is real momentum in the city and what is happening today is just part of that momentum.”

‘Only the beginning’

Sir Nigel Wilson said Legal and General was ‘very excited’ about what was happening in Sunderland and delighted to be a part of it.

"This is only the beginning,” he said. “This is a ten-year investment right here.

The firm’s confidence in the city could act as a catalyst and attract more investment, he said: “These are hugely significant developments that will not only change the face of

Sunderland but will deliver a vital boost to the economy in a city that is fast becoming a poster child of urban regeneration.

“This is Inclusive Capitalism at its best. With an injection of long-term capital, towns and cities can be completely transformed, and have a direct positive social impact, creating jobs and supporting real wage increases, whilst creating a virtuous circle by generating income to pay pensioners.”

Both buildings are being actively marketed by commercial property agents Knight Frank and JLL with Faber already having attracted its first tenant, RSA, bringing 400 jobs to the city centre.

To stay up to date with Maker and Faber’s development, visit www.makerfaber.co.uk or follow @makerandfaber on social media. To enquire about space within the buildings, contact Richard Thorton from JLL at [email protected] or on 0113 235 5269 or Patrick Matheson at Knight Frank at [email protected] or on 594 5001.