Longer opening hours planned for new Sunderland Tesco and Cooplands stores at Southwick Social Club site

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received a new application for the former Southwick Social Club site off Church Bank.

Back in April, 2023, plans were approved for a retail development housing a Tesco store and a unit for bakery business Cooplands, with plans to create around 20 jobs once the units are completed and let.

The multi-million pound commercial scheme has been brought forward by Newcastle-based developer Modo Bloc, with developers claiming the plans would bring several benefits.

This included “breathing life and energy back into the location” and helping to regenerate the wider Southwick area.

As part of the original planning approval, Sunderland City Council imposed a planning condition on the development’s “hours of operation”.

This included operating hours of 8am-8pm, Monday to Sunday, to “protect the amenities of the area” and to comply with planning policies.

However developers have now applied to the council’s planning department to vary this condition around operating hours.

Those behind the development are seeking permission to add an extra four hours per day to the previously approved operating hours.

This includes a bid for “hours of operation to be carried out between 7am and 11pm, Monday to Sunday”.

A planning application submitted to council officials states this is being requested “to allow for more flexibility in the hours of operation and to be consistent with other retail operators.”

A noise assessment was also submitted with the plans stating that deliveries would not create “adverse impacts” in terms of noise.

It was noted that the car park being fully occupied during expanded operating hours would likely result in an “overall negligible impact when assessed against the respective measured baseline noise levels”.

The noise assessment added: “It is concluded that noise should not be a prohibitive factor in the determination of this planning application.”

A decision on the operating hours changes will be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Information on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website suggests a decision is expected by October 5, 2023.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/01794/VAR