Demolition plans for former Edward Thompson factory at Sheepfolds in Sunderland

The building, which is located in Sheepfolds Industrial Estate, is part of the Sunderland plant that housed the former printing business.

Sunderland City Council recently applied to its own planning department to bulldoze the two-storey unit referred to as the Edward Thompson building (Cameron Building).

Plans aim to remove this building and the pedestrian link bridge to its sister building on the opposite side of Richmond Street, referred to as the Edward Thompson building (Tombola House).

Tombola House is not included in the demolition plans, with plans for the opening where the pedestrian bridge was located to be “made good”.

The planning application from Sunderland City Council said the demolition was being brought forward on economic and health and safety grounds.

The planning application states: “The building has exceeded its useful economic lifespan and is now redundant.

“It is in a poor state of repair and is structurally deteriorating, posing a danger to the public.

“Demolition to be on the grounds of economic and health and safety reasons”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on July 4, 2023.

The council’s environmental health department recommended the use of a ‘water supply and spraying equipment’ to “minimise” dust during the demolition process.

The council’s transportation department also had no comments in relation to the application.

Demolition works are expected to take place at the end of July, 2023, with an estimated completion date of September 29, 2023.

Proposed demolition methods include machinery and “hand stripping”, with items separated for recycling.

The link bridge will also be “stripped of all non structural materials, detached from the two buildings and lowered to the ground, placed in the site compound and dismantled”.

Edward Thompson, which was once the world’s biggest manufacturer of bingo cards, had operated as a company for for more than 150 years.

However the business announced plans to close in March, 2022.

Company bosses said a combination of the coronavirus pandemic and other market conditions had ‘negatively affected our businesses and left us no option but to close’.

For more information on the demolition application, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/01264/DEM