Planning submitted for sustainable new homes in Sunniside, Sunderland.

Developer TOWN has revealed plans for the Nile + Villiers community which will reinstate two streets demolished in the 2000s that were historically home to artisans including printers, cabinetmakers, and textile workers. The plans to transform the area are part of a programme of ambitious city centre regeneration being led by Sunderland City Council in the context of the Place plan for Sunniside.

The project, which was conceived with local community organisation Back on the Map working with TOWN and Create Streets, is supported by over £4 million of Levelling-Up Fund investment. It is a key element of a ten-year place strategy for the Sunniside neighbourhood, which aims to encourage the growth of new and existing creative industries in the area, increase the residential population and bring under-used buildings and spaces to life.

TOWN has worked with a design team led by Xsite Architecture to prepare the scheme proposals and when complete, 65 of the dwellings will be acquired by award-winning built-to-rent specialist Placefirst, with others sold to local buyers.

Councillor Kevin Johnston, Portfolio Holder for Dynamic City, at Sunderland City Council said:

“Increasing the number of people living in the heart of the city centre is vital to our strategy for Sunderland’s future prosperity. It will see more people spending their money with traders and businesses here, boosting the economy and supporting our businesses to succeed. Complementing over a thousand new homes being built at Riverside Sunderland, as well as scores that will soon rise from the ground at the former Civic Centre site, Nile + Villiers will offer a place for people who want to live in a vibrant creative neighbourhood with easy access to transport links, jobs and the University of Sunderland.”

The project will feature a mix of two- and three-bedroom houses and duplexes echoing the historic fabric and grain of the site, a community energy microgrid providing residents with clean affordable energy, and shared gardens for residents modelled on TOWN’s award-winning Marmalade Lane Cohousing development. A new mixed-use building will recreate the frontage to High Street West and ensure the scheme is sensitively integrated within the Old Sunderland Conservation Area.

A design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) approach is being adopted to ensure construction is affordable, high-quality and generates opportunities for local workers and suppliers. The site, three blocks east of Sunderland station, will be cycle and pedestrian friendly in keeping with the Council’s low carbon and active travel objectives.

Neil Murphy, Director of TOWN, said:

“We’re very happy to have the chance to bring our experience and philosophy of sustainable, community-oriented housing to Sunniside. Having spent a lot of time with local residents and businesses already, we know how excited everyone is about the potential of Sunniside within a rapidly regenerating Sunderland, and the role the Nile + Villiers project can play in the transformation and future stewardship of the neighbourhood.”

David Mawson, CEO of Placefirst, said:

“The plans for the Nile+Villiers development in Sunderland are making headway, and the Placefirst team are immensely proud to be involved in the delivery of such a transformative scheme.

“The submission of planning marks a significant milestone for the project. We are committed to the delivery of high-quality, much-needed homes in vibrant communities like Sunderland, and we look forward to seeing the progress made across the neighbourhood in the coming months.”

Subject to planning permission being granted, construction is expected to start later in 2024 with the first properties likely to be occupied in 2026.