More than £60million to be invested in Sunderland as spending nears £1billion mark

An update on Sunderland’s 3,6,9 Vision – launched in 2015 with the aim of transforming it as a place to live and work – reveals the progress so far and highlights the ongoing commitments from the private sector, including more development in the city centre.

The 3,6,9 Vision was drawn up by Sunderland’s Economic Leadership Board, which includes Sunderland City Council, developer Siglion, the University of Sunderland, Sunderland College, Gentoo, City Hospitals and the North East BiC, as well as a number of city businesses.

The plan was designed to create a programme which would dramatically change the city physcially, create thousands of jobs and nurture the cultural profile.

Developments worth an estimated £927.4million have either been completed or commenced since 2015 and more than 5,000 jobs created, according to newly collected data from Sunderland City Council.

Investments include the Northern Spire bridge, work on the Vaux Brewery site, continued investment in Port of Sunderland, and the development of a £3million restaurant, café, heritage centre and dance studio at the Old Fire Station off High Street West.

By 2024, a further £626m worth of development is planned in the city.

City council leader Coun Harry Trueman said: “Great progress has been made so far in enhancing Sunderland as a place to live and work and in unlocking its huge potential through the 3,6,9 Vision.

“Of course we recognise that much more work and vital investment is needed, especially in speeding up the transformation of the city centre.

“However, the eagerness of businesses and investors to be part of Sunderland’s growth and redevelopment, and the many projects planned, give us plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of the city.”

Projects due to begin in the near future include the nationally significant International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) near Nissan and the new £8.2million 450-seater cultural auditorium in the city’s emerging music, arts and cultural quarter.

Sunderland Railway Station is also due to undergo a £13.7million redevelopment, while an extension to the Bridges Shopping Centre development will see a new retail development built on the former site of Crowtree Leisure Centre.

Several major housing developments are also in the pipeline, while work on a £57million dual carriageway linking the city centre and the Port of Sunderland gets underway this year as phase three of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor.

Technology firm AR Controls recently moved into a new £600,000 headquarters at Sunrise Enterprise Park to allow it to grow, car parts maker Unipres last year opened a £500,000 training academy in Sunderland and US automotive giant Lear Corporation’s chose to locate its European research and development division in Sunderland, against competition from across Europe. The company announced plans to build a £1.5million extension to its Sunderland base for R&D work as a result.