They’re working on two of the city centre’s largest housing developments.

Falcon Fox Developments has announced the arrival on site of subcontractor apprentices who will gain vital work experience at two key regeneration schemes in Sunderland city centre.

(Foreground L-R) James Conway, Bradley Summerside and Riley Richardson.
Back row (l-r) Ritchie Wharton, director at Falcon Fox Developments, Julie McCartney, head of residential development, economy and place at Sunderland City Council, Emma Bond, senior development manager also at Sunderland City Council with Duncan Bowman, director at Falcon Fox Developments. — (Foreground L-R) James Conway, Bradley Summerside and Riley Richardson. Back row (l-r) Ritchie Wharton, director at Falcon Fox Developments, Julie McCartney, head of residential development, economy and place at Sunderland City Council, Emma Bond, senior development manager also at Sunderland City Council with Duncan Bowman, director at Falcon Fox Developments. | Submitted

placeholder image — (Foreground L-R) James Conway, Bradley Summerside and Riley Richardson. Back row (l-r) Ritchie Wharton, director at Falcon Fox Developments, Julie McCartney, head of residential development, economy and place at Sunderland City Council, Emma Bond, senior development manager also at Sunderland City Council with Duncan Bowman, director at Falcon Fox Developments. | Submitted

The apprentices are working across sites at the flagship Vaux Housing development next to City Hall and Nile + Villiers in Sunniside.

The apprentices are:

*Bradley Summerside, a fourth-year electrical apprentice subcontractor working at H.Malone & Sons Ltd studying an NVQ level 3 in electrical installation at Sunderland College.

*Riley Richardson, follows in the footsteps of his father, Phil Richardson, director at Warrich Construction, who is learning his trade as an apprentice bricklayer. Riley is studying construction at NVQ level at Northumberland college.

*James Conway, is an apprentice drylining operative at Interceil Ltd, studying a drylining apprenticeship at Tyne Metropolitan College.

* Oliver Dawson, employed by Falcon Fox Developments, is also gaining valuable experience on the site working as an apprentice quantity surveyor. Oliver is hot on the audit trail of mum, Katy Green, who is a quantity surveyor at Falcon Fox.

The Nile + Villiers housing development in Sunniside | Sunderland Echo

Led by Sunderland City Council and Siglion Developments LLP, the Vaux Housing development forms part of the Riverside Sunderland regeneration programme delivered in collaboration with public and private sector partners.

Falcon Fox was appointed as Construction Manager and is delivering the residential-led phase of the Vaux scheme, which comprises two landmark apartment blocks, alongside residential clusters of high-density housing and duplexes.

The apartment blocks consist of 41 apartments and 2 commercial units. 52 new homes complete the scheme, delivering a total of 93 sustainable homes across the wider development.

Nile + Villiers is a key part of Sunderland City Council’s Sunniside Place Strategy, a ten-year plan to bring new life, activity and investment to the area.

Falcon Fox was also appointed as construction manager for this innovative development, which will provide 75 new energy efficient homes, alongside 6,000 sq ft of commercial space fronting onto High Street West.

The scheme aims to reinstate two streets demolished in the 2000s which were historically home to printers, cabinet makers and textile workers.

Working closely with a range of subcontractors including H. Malone & Sons Ltd, Interceil Ltd and Warrich Construction, the projects will provide the apprentices with direct access to advanced, on-site vocational experience in essential trades such as drylining, bricklaying and electrical.

Duncan Bowman, director at Falcon Fox, said: “Bringing subcontractor apprentices onto live project environments is fundamental to building a resilient, highly skilled workforce.

“Small and medium-sized subcontractors make up the backbone of our delivery model. By actively opening our sites to their trainees, we ensure the next generation gains the high-quality, practical experience necessary to build long-term, rewarding careers in construction.”

Lewis Jones, operations manager at Interceil, said: “Collaborating with a major partner allows our apprentices to witness the scale, safety standards, and complexity of a modern project firsthand.”