Former Sunderland pub site outlined for 'temporary supported housing for single males'

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Plans for a ‘supported housing’ development on a former Sunderland pub site have been submitted to council development chiefs.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for a parcel of land near the Pennywell shopping centre in the St Anne’s ward.

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The site at Portsmouth Road once housed The Eagle public house but has sat vacant for decades since the pub’s demolition in the mid-1990s.

New plans from MCC Homes aim to re-purpose the site with a new building providing “supported temporary housing for 12 single males”.

Plans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRSPlans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRS
Plans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRS

The development, if approved by the city council, would provide 12 one-bed self-contained apartments along with “communal and support office space”.

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A design and access statement submitted with the application, on behalf of the applicant, provides details on how the development would operate.

It notes that the proposed building would have one main access and staff and visitor parking and that support would be provided to up to 12 residents to allow them to “live safely in the scheme and gain skills to allow them to move on to living in their own property”.

The design and access statement does not provide any further details on future residents of the scheme, but notes residents would be “likely to remain at the scheme for approximately six months”.

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Plans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRSPlans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRS
Plans for 'supported temporary housing' for 'single males' proposed on former 'The Eagle' pub site near Pennywell Shopping Centre (October, 2024) Credit LDRS

The support provider linked to the development is not named in the design and access document, although it is noted the scheme’s operator would be “procured by the council”.

The design and access statement adds: “Support and staffing will be provided by an experienced, specialist partner, which will [be] procured by the council.

“The scheme will be staffed 24/7 with a minimum of two support staff members, who will provide experienced support and effectively manage any potential issues.

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“A typical support staff member’s working shift would be approximately eight hours long.

“The proposed private car parking will be used to park vehicles by support staff [and] the residents of the property will not own vehicles.

“There will be a curfew in operation for residents between the hours 11.00pm to 7.30am, unless a special permission has been granted by support staff.

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Residents will not be permitted to receive any visitors, unless by prior agreement with support staff and only during office hours.”

The design and access statement adds that the “support provider will manage any challenging behaviour and ensure that an individual’s support plan is in place, which will also address non-engagement with support to ensure appropriate outcomes”.

It was also noted that the support provider, once agreed, would “work alongside the local and wider community delivering on the council’s social values to create a positive impact and ensure the smooth transition of the scheme into the locality”.

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The design and access statement adds: “Once a support provider has been procured, a specific point of contact will be made available to the public, to enable queries to be dealt with promptly once the scheme becomes operational.”

Those behind the plans said the site had previously been granted planning permission for housing but that the permission had since lapsed.

It was noted that MCC Homes purchased the land in 2021 and has been “actively working with the local authority to develop a scheme to provide the required accommodation”.

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Planning documents said the proposed development would be “enclosed by a 2m wall and railings with automatic entrance gates with video entry system”, as well as having CCTV covering communal areas internally and externally.

It was said that the proposed use of “residential with support services” would be “in keeping with the building use surrounding area with a mixture of residential, community and medical uses.”

A decision on the planning application will be made once a council consultation exercise has concluded.

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Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of December 19, 2024.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/02150/FUL

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