Demolition work due to start on quirky 1960s Sunderland church in Ryhope to make way for bungalows

Bulldozers will soon move in on a quirky church which has been a landmark in the city for around 60 years.

As reported in the Echo, the former St Cuthbert’s Methodist Church in Ryhope will soon be demolished to make room for a new residential development.

Six supported bungalows will be built as part of Sunderland City Council’s £59million Housing Delivery and Investment Plan (HDIP).

North East -based T Manners and Sons are set to start clearing the existing building – which has not been used since 2017 – this month.

Once it has been demolished, work will get started on construction of the new homes, which are expected to take around a year to complete.

The homes will support people with physical and/or learning disabilities. They will have 5G infrastructure built-in, ready to incorporate assistive technology depending on client needs.

The development is being supported by £660,000 funding from Homes England and is part of a council-led plan to deliver more supported properties for vulnerable residents, including more bungalows for people living with disabilities and providing specialist accommodation available for affordable rent. 

The three three-bedroom bungalows and three two-bedroom bungalows in Ryhope follow similar projects to provide accessible housing in Washington and at Hylton Road.

Councillor Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for Dynamic City at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s great to see work starting on these six new one-story homes, which will help us deliver more accessible properties in the city for those who need them.

“We want to see residents living in homes that are well suited to their needs and enable them to live as independently as possible, and this latest scheme is helping us to achieve that.”

This scheme is part of an ambitious plan that saw the local authority once again become a Registered Housing Provider in 2020, renting its first homes in more than 20 years. It also began a programme of construction – building its first new properties in 40 years and to date, over 180 new homes have either been delivered already or are underway.

In HDIP, the council set out ambitious plans to ensure that residents have access to the homes they need as they grow older; that vulnerable residents are able to live in properties that support them to live independently for longer, in which they are supported to live happy, fulfilled lives creating attractive new homes for our residents. 

Simon Manners, managing director of T Manners, said: “We are really pleased to have been appointed by Sunderland City Council to deliver these six supported bungalows at this site as part of the HDIP, and we are looking forward to starting on site with the demolition later this month.”

The council’s Housing Development Team will continue delivering the HDIP to provide a range of affordable rent homes across the city, including new accessible properties and supported housing.