New faces at Sunderland development company Siglion

Siglion, the joint venture formed by Sunderland City Council and Carillion, is masterminding the redevelopment of the former Vaux brewery site in the city centre, Seaburn seafront and Chapelgarth, near Doxford Park.

The firm has appointed Honor Massarella as development director, with a particular brief for the Vaux site, and Lowri Bond to boost its community engagement work.

Honor joins from Igloo Regeneration - the management company responsible for the day-to-day running of Siglion - and is a trained chartered surveyor and chartered town planner who previously sat on the planning and development board of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Her latest project saw her oversee the planning of a multi-million-pound development which will see the creation of a new residential development in Leeds’ South Bank.

"I am thrilled to join the Siglion team at such an exciting time for Sunderland," she said.

"There have been huge strides forward, with work under way at Vaux that really will extend the footprint of the city centre, and create a vibrant new space that can be enjoyed by people who live, work, study and play in Sunderland.

"My role is to help build and maintain momentum, by targeting and attracting further investment that will spearhead the start of phase two of the site by the end of this year, and hopefully phase three not too far behind it."

Work on the 60,000sq ft phase one development started in December.

Lowri Bond alsobeen appointed to increase Siglion's engagement activities with people and businesses.

She has worked with communities and young people in the voluntary and cultural sectors throughout the North East for over 18 years and has worked with Siglion on a number of projects already.

Lowri, who joins the team on a part –time basis, said: "I am really passionate about the role that people and communities can play in shaping redevelopment, and I know that Siglion is absolutely committed to developing spaces that can be influenced, and ultimately, enjoyed by people who live in and enjoy the city.

"We’re already working on a joined-up approach to engagement in Sunderland, working with community groups and individuals to create developments that people feel a real sense of ownership for. I’m really excited to take that engagement to the next stage, and work with the development team to create sustainable, happy communities."

Siglion chief executive John Seager said the appointments would help build on the momentum the organisation has already achieved: "We are starting to move forward now, and that’s fantastic to see.

"Lowri and Honor’s appointments will build on that and allow us to work with communities and developers to create spaces that help reimagine Sunderland, and redefine it as a modern, European city that has spaces that people want to enjoy."

To find out more about Siglion, visit www.siglion.co.uk. Or to find out more about a project manager vacancy the company is looking to fill, email [email protected].