New student accommodation proposed for historic Sunderland street

Sunderland City Council’s planning department recently validated a number of applications for 22 John Street.

This included a change of use from offices to a 10-bedroom house in multiple occupation, which would include en-suite bedrooms and a shared living room, kitchen and laundry facilities.

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As part of plans to convert the Grade-II listed building into accommodation aimed at students, a range of internal works were set out in a separate listed building consent application.

This included new partitions, the removal of a staircase between the ground floor and basement, door upgrades and the redecoration of existing shutter boxes.

A design and heritage statement, submitted to council planners on behalf of the applicant, also set out the reasons for the proposals.

It said: “Currently the building has operated as a solicitor’s office [Browell Smith And Co] for a number of years.

“However, the change in business operations, coupled with the difficulty of level access requirements, means that the building is no longer viable as offices either for the applicant or for any potential tenants / purchasers.

“The applicant is obviously not alone in this requirement to relocate, witnessed by the large number of neighbouring properties that have remained unsold or unlet for many years.

“The requirement is, therefore to provide a use for the building that fits both council policies and respects the setting and listing of the building.

“A need has been identified for high quality student accommodation within the centre of Sunderland to service the specific requirements of the city’s university.

“Such a use would not only provide a viable and long term solution to breathing life back into this building but would bring life back to this part of the city centre.”

The design and heritage statement also notes the significance of the building in terms of its listed status and location within a conservation area.

It adds that the planning proposals aim to “maximise the number of high quality bed spaces without compromising the true historic fabric of the building”.

The main principle of the project, the statement explains, would be to “retain as many of the original features of the building as possible”.

Decisions on applications for 22 John Street will be made following a period of council consultation.

For more information on the planning application for the change of use, visit Sunderland City Council’s online planning portal and search reference: 22/00649/FUL

The listed building consent application can also be found on the planning portal by by searching reference: 22/00689/LBC