Covering 13.7 hectares of parkland and 5.3 hectares of riverfront, the park will be made up of five areas; Southern Gateway, Kingsley Gardens, Galley's Gill, Lambton Riverside, and Wearmouth Riverside.
Situated between the Riverside multi-storey car park and new Eye Hospital, the first phase is Southern Gateway, which will comprise a new park entrance, landscaped spaces, ponds, and social areas designed to increase biodiversity and encourage public use.
With a new park on the horizon, we’ve taken a look at the fascinating history of our existing parks, from those built on reclaimed former colliery sites to a park built in response to the cholera epidemic.
9. Roker Park
Another of the city's oldest parks, Roker Park was opened on June 23, 1880, on land donated by Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet and the Church Commissioners. The park has plenty of features including a remote-controlled model boating lake, model railway, which was built in the 1970s, as well as two bowling greens, play park and sports courts. Photo: Stu Norton
10. Minster Park, city centre
Minster Park is another of Sunderland's newest parks, which opened in August 2020. The old Town Park, next to Sunderland Minster, was a little-used area of the city in recent decades, despite its rich heritage as the heart of Bishopwearmouth, one of the three original settlements that came together to form Sunderland. The new look Minster Park was unveiled following a year-long programme of improvement works to transform Sunderland Minster and the land to the south of it. The opening marked the completion of this section of the Bishopwearmouth Townscape Heritage Scheme, a project which has also seen repair works made to Sunderland Minster churchyard, as well as the Dun Cow and Peacock pubs. Photo: JPI Media
11. Hetton Lyons Country Park
Hetton Lyons Country Park is another prime example of a former colliery site being reclaimed for the community. It features a sporting lake, fishing lakes, football pitches, orienteering course, play park and is also part of the national cycling network. There are dedicated cycle tracks and trails within the park and it is a part of the W2W cycling trail. It hosts a number of events including dragon boat races. Photo: Tim Richardson
12. Princess Anne Park, Washington
Princess Anne Park is one of Washington's most-popular parks. The Friends of Princess Anne Park work hard to put pride back into the Park and have hosted a number of events, including those highlighting the importance of green spaces in boosting mental health. Photo: national world