Fresh plans for apartments in former Hetton office space approved

Back in August, 2022, Sunderland City Council’s planning department validated an application for the upper floor of Jubilee House at 5 Front Street in the Hetton ward.

According to council planning documents, the two-storey building dates back to the early 20th Century and was constructed as offices for Hetton Urban District Council.

Its most recent use includes a pharmacy at ground floor level with vacant office space above.

In recent years, a number of attempts have been made to change the building’s upper floor from offices to three residential flats.

The first bid for the scheme was refused by city council planners in 2016, with an appeal later dismissed by a government-appointed planning inspector.

The following year, a resubmission of the scheme was approved by council planners after the applicant made changes to address concerns around the amenity of future occupants and bin storage arrangements.

Despite planning permission being granted in 2017, the development was never brought forward and planning permission has expired.

The third application to Sunderland City Council represented a resubmission of the previous proposal, with each flat providing one-bedroom accommodation.

Following an objection from Hetton Town Council, the plans were brought to a meeting of the Planning and Highways Committee at City Hall for decision.

The objector’s concerns included “lack of parking capacity for residents”, access for deliveries to the site and concerns about “inadequate fire safety arrangements”.

However, Sunderland City Council planners deemed the scheme acceptable and recommended it for approval after considering all factors.

In a report prepared for decision-makers, council planners stated that the proposed change of use would not result in any “significant adverse impacts on residential amenity, visual amenity or highway/pedestrian safety”.

Although the council’s highways engineers raised concerns about the lack of parking and the potential for increased “inappropriate parking”, council planning officers said parking guidance could be “relaxed” given the previous ruling from the Planning Inspectorate and other matters.

A report presented to decision-makers on Monday, October 3, noted public transport connections were also readily available to other cities, towns and villages in the region.

It read: “The application premises is immediately adjacent to Hetton Bus Station, served by numerous regular bus services to Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle and other nearby towns and villages.

“There are also numerous public parking opportunities within Hetton town centre.

“As such, given previous comments of the planning inspector, the links to public transport in the vicinity and the availability of parking opportunities, it is considered that, on this occasion the council’s usual recommended parking provision can be relaxed and that the development would not give rise to conditions which are detrimental to highway/pedestrian safety.”

After being put to the vote, the Planning and Highways Committee approved the planning application for Jubilee House.

Under planning conditions, the development must take place on site within three years or developers will have to reapply for permisison.