Plans for a new housing development on the outskirts of Sunderland have been submitted to council development bosses.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for land adjacent to Mulberry Way in the city’s Houghton ward.

The site sits between existing residential areas and Mulberry Way, which serves as ”the boundary of the settlement gap to the major settlement in the area of Houghton-le-Spring” and according to planning documents, the application site is currently used as grazing land.

An artist's impression of how the new development in Houghton ward could look | Persimmon Homes/LDRS

placeholder image — An artist's impression of how the new development in Houghton ward could look | Persimmon Homes/LDRS

Applicant Persimmon Homes (Durham) is seeking planning permission for 58 dwellings on the site along with associated access, landscaping, open space and sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) features.

Plans have been submitted with a number of supporting documents providing details of the housing scheme, including the types of properties proposed.

A planning statement outlines the housing mix as 12 two-bedroom homes, 29 three-bedroom homes and 17 four-bedroom homes, and in addition, 15 per cent of the entire development would be classed as “affordable” under planning policies.

This includes a proportion of properties being made available “for affordable rent or at discounted market value”.

Those behind the housing scheme added the development would “provide a high-quality design response which fully considers the site’s context,opportunities and constraints”.

The planning statement added: “The proposal sensitively integrates with the local environment and ensures it is appropriate to the character and appearance of the area.

“This creates a high-quality development, within an attractive landscape setting.

“The proposed residential site is identified in the SHLAA (strategic housing land availability assessment) and would be a windfall [site] that would contribute to meeting Sunderland’s housing need, which is likely to increase in early 2025.

“It is also clear that the proposed SUDS and landscaping is acceptable within the settlement break, and it would not only support but enhance its function.”

A design and access statement from the applicant states the land at Mulberry Way represents an “opportunity to create a desirable collection of homes west of Houghton-le-Spring”, with the proposed development “taking inspiration from the surrounding context and landscape”.

It was noted that the housing scheme would have public green spaces to provide areas for planting, along with properties “fronting onto open spaces”, private amenity space for new residents and the “integration and enhancement of existing and proposed landscape features”.

Planning documents state a community consultation took place on the plans, which described the development as “Dairy Lane, Dubmire” and CGI images of how the housing development could look have also been publicised.

The development also includes a “wide range of parking types including driveway, tandem and frontage parking”, along with 14 visitor spaces “well distributed throughout the site.”

A decision on the planning application will be made following a council consultation exercise.

Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of September 26, 2025.

For more information on the planning application, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/01316/FUL