Major Sunderland housing development in Hendon hit by delays, with work now expected to start in spring 2024

A major affordable housing development on Wearside has been delayed, with bosses now eyeing a construction start date of Spring 2024.

Sunderland City Council is currently considering a planning application for a housing development in the city’s Hendon area.

The site, which sits off Harrogate Street and Amberley Street near the city centre, has been empty for decades.

Although the land was cleared in the 1990s, roads still run through patches of grass where dozens of homes once stood.

In recent years, there have been moves to make the site ready for housing, with Sunderland City Council’s cabinet approving an agreement for the site’s ‘comprehensive redevelopment’ back in 2020.

In May, 2022, scheme developers Thirteen Housing Group Ltd submitted plans for 103 homes on the brownfield land, with plans for the entire development to offer affordable rent.

A planning statement submitted to council officials at the time said housing would include units manufactured through Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), where components are manufactured off-site and then assembled on-site.

It was anticipated that Sunderland City Council would make a decision on the housing planning application last year.

At a recent meeting of the council’s Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee, however, bosses from housing provider Thirteen said the scheme had faced issues and delays.

It was confirmed amended plans had been submitted to provide ‘more traditional’ homes, rather than the ‘modular buildings’ using modern methods of construction as originally planned.

Despite the scheme seeing a small drop in the number of homes proposed compared to the initial plans, a decrease from 103 to 96, housing bosses said the entire development would still be offered for affordable rent.

Chris Smith, Thirteen Group’s deputy chief executive, updated city councillors on the development at a Sunderland City Council scrutiny committee on November 21, 2023.

She said the scheme had been “beset by all sorts of issues”, including rising costs.

However, councillors were told that the housing scheme was “nearly there” and that developers hoped to receive a decision on planning permission from the council in March, 2024.

The presentation to councillors was one of a number from housing providers working across the city, including Bernicia Homes, Believe Housing and Karbon Homes.

Although councillors were told the majority of Thirteen Group’s housing stock was based in the Teesside area, the benefits of affordable housing in Sunderland’s Hendon area were noted.

This included the housing aiding the regeneration of the area and the mix of housing types provided, from bungalows to family properties.

The proposed housing mix under amended plans includes 21 two-bedroom bungalows, 41 two-bedroom houses, 28 three-bedroom houses and six larger four-bedroom houses.

It was also confirmed that the scheme involved funding from Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency.

Chris Smith, Thirteen Group’s deputy chief executive, told the meeting: “They are really behind this scheme, it’s a regeneration scheme and it’s in an area that needs investment”.

The housing boss added: “[The development] has been beset by all sorts of issues but we’re nearly there, we have got the funding in place.

“The contractor is in place, the planning is there and we’re waiting for the council to give us that planning permission but we’re very confident of that.

“So hopefully we would start on site in Spring next year and that would be a three-year build programme”.

Information on the amended planning application can be found via Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website.

The planning application and associated site plans can be viewed by searching council planning reference: 22/00970/FUL