Plans press ahead for 165-home new neighbourhood in Sunderland city centre

Sunderland City Council has now exchanged contracts with Placefirst to develop a 165-home neighbourhood at Riverside Sunderland.

Situated on Farringdon Row, the development will ‘deliver high-quality rental homes, comprising 67 houses and 98 apartments’, the team behind the project said.

It is part of the council’s billion-pound Riverside Sunderland masterplan, and is a step towards – the delivering 1,000 new city centre homes and workspace for 8,000 people.

 Riverside Sunderland includes Culture House, ‘the UK’s smartest library’, a world-class eye hospital, the new Wear Footbridge, the Housing Innovation Construction Skills Academy, the redevelopment of the Sheepfolds area, housing on the former Vaux residential development, Riverside Park and the Maker & Faber office buildings being developed by Legal & General.

Cllr Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, said: “Placefirst is well-known for its innovative, sustainable approach to creating rental homes so we are thrilled to be working with them to bring to market this exciting new development at Farringdon Row.

“Our ambition for Riverside Sunderland is to provide housing for over 2,500 people. That is 2,500 people whose local stores, bars and cafes will be in the city centre, providing a significant boost to the high street and local traders.

“It will also help those businesses seeking to relocate to the high-quality office space with the quality housing needed to attract skilled workers from outside of the area. It is a key part of our city masterplan and we are delighted to see it pressing ahead.”

Placefirst will submit a planning application in autumn 2024, with work expected to start in summer 2025 if plans are approved.

Alun Davies, head of planning at Placefirst, said: “As one of the UK’s most ambitious city centre regeneration projects, we know that simply building more houses is not enough to support the city’s long-term aspirations. That’s why, at Placefirst, our focus is increasing the number of high-quality housing options to ensure long-term value for local communities.

“As we prepare for this next stage in the delivery of Farringdon Row, we look forward to setting a new standard for Build to Rent (BTR) schemes in Sunderland through our professionally managed homes and playing such a pivotal role in the transformation in Riverside Sunderland.”

For more information on Riverside Sunderland, visit: https://www.riversidesunderland.com/