Housing scheme for Sunniside Gardens rejected over tiny flats, bad daylight and poor design

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has refused an application for 17 Norfolk Street near Sunniside Gardens.

The site has been described in previous planning documents as a “redundant printers” and the building was once linked to business Attey and Sons.

Council planners have described the building as “one of the Victorian / Georgian terraces that surround Sunniside Gardens” which are a “fundamental component of the special character and significance of the core of the Sunniside Conservation Area.”

Plans from applicant Better Homes NE, submitted earlier this year (2025), sought planning permission to convert part of the property into residential accommodation.

This included plans for four apartments, with a single two-bed apartment at ground floor level in a previous workshop space and converting office space at first floor level into a two-bed apartment.

Plans also included a first floor extension to the rear to provide an additional two-bed apartment and the “conversion of existing attic space” into a one-bed apartment, with the scheme including a new dormer window and roof lights, as well as new windows within the side elevation.

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Proposed floor plans submitted to the council indicated each apartment would have a bathroom and kitchen / living area and that the ground floor shop unit would be repaired and retained.

During a council public consultation exercise on the plans, there were no representations submitted.

Council planners said that a “combined residential and commercial use of a historic building which has fallen into disrepair” could be supported in principle as it has the “potential to impact positively on the character of the conservation area and support the regeneration aims for Sunniside”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies however, Sunderland City Council’s planning department refused it on June 3, 2025.

The main reasons for refusal, listed in a council decision report, included issues with the design of the scheme and associated impacts on the Sunniside Conservation Area.

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Council planners said all four apartments “fell short of meeting the minimum requirements set out within the nationally described space standards and the accompanying technical standards” and noted the plans “failed to define key areas such as internal storage, bedspaces and areas of reduced headroom”.

It was noted that some windows in a rear offshoot were “inappropriately located and would afford future occupants both a poor level of outlook from the respective rooms and a poor level of sun and natural daylight”.

In addition, council planners said the “proposed hipped roof feature to the rear of the extended offshoot and the addition of the new narrow first floor windows positioned within the eastern, rear elevation of the property”, would have an impact on the local conservation area.

This included plans “failing to reflect the prevailing rhythm exhibited by the vertical pitched roofs of the adjacent offshoots and the traditional vertical proportions of the window fenestration found within the existing and neighbouring properties”.

It was argued that the proposal, in its current form, would introduce “uncharacteristic features into the rear street scene and as such would fail to conserve and enhance the character and significance of the conservation area”.

The third reason for refusal included the lack of a financial contribution from developers towards work to mitigate “increased recreational pressures on nearby European-designated ecology sites”.

It was noted that “in the absence of a financial contribution towards the council’s strategic mitigation programme, the development will result in an adverse effect on the integrity of the European- designated sites.”

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It is not the first time housing plans have been refused for 17 Norfolk Street in Sunniside.

Back in 2023, developers launched a bid to change the former business space into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) with eight “bedsits”, as well as external alterations.

However, the planning application was later refused by Sunderland City Council due to concerns about the over-concentration of HMOs in the area and the proposed design of the residential scheme, along with fears about impacts on the Sunniside Conservation Area.

A design and access statement submitted with the new planning application for “four separate apartments” said the site was a “redundant printing business not offering any value or service to the surrounding area.”

A heritage statement also submitted to council officials noted 17 Norfolk Street is classed as a “non-designated heritage asset” as it “forms part of a historic terrace which forms parts of the streetscape setting of the conservation area”.

Developers previously confirmed that the apartment plans aimed to “retain the shop front style window and shutter” to the front of the building and that “bay windows at first and attic levels will be rebuilt to match the existing”, due to their “poor condition”.

They added the proposed development would “continue the momentum of regeneration in Sunderland urban core and help to support its sustainable economic growth”, as well as “improving the setting of the conservation area and associated buildings.”

The applicant has the right to challenge the council’s refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State.

For more information on the planning application, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/02389/FUL