Norfolk Hotel: Sunderland AFC's birthplace to get repairs and new shutters to improve look and security

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for 34 Norfolk Street in the Sunniside Conservation Area.

The red brick building, which played a central role in the formation of Sunderland AFC, was previously acquired by the city council as part of its regeneration plans.

A blue plaque at the site recognises the building as the former home of the British Day School, which hosted a meeting of local school teachers in 1879 which would lead to the formation of Sunderland AFC, originally known as Sunderland and District Teachers’ Association.

The building was also built in two parts, the first in the late 1800s and the entrance in 1900 and the site was converted into a hotel and later, a hostel.

Plans approved by council planning officers back in June, 2022, aimed to change the use of the site to accommodate a range of cultural, creative and community uses.

This included spaces for artist studios, creative workspace, offices, retail, a café, craft workshops and wellbeing and fitness classes, with spaces for the voluntary and community sector including charities and community groups.

A new planning application submitted to Sunderland City Council back in March, 2025, sought permission for works to 34 Norfolk Street’s front elevation, with “structural repair works”, windows repairs and the installation of roller shutters “enclosed within shop frontage” proposed.

A design and access statement submitted with the plans said 34 Norfolk Street “forms part of the former Norfolk Hotel buildings” and referenced the previously approved planning permission for the wider site for “studio / office workspace units generally for the use of charity, community and social enterprise groups”.

The developers behind the scheme, in documents submitted in recent months, said “conversion works” are “presently in progress” which will “form an initial phase of the development which can be brought into use as a standalone building”, with a view of occupants moving in this year.

The planning application from Marengo Estates Ltd said works aim to “improve the appearance and security of the property to 34 Norfolk Street, which were not covered within the [previous] change of use application”.

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The design and access statement also said changes to the original plans were proposed after “investigation works” linked to the historic building found some structural issues and that it was “not economically viable to remove the brick infill and fully restore a shop frontage” at the time of the application.

Instead, a “simplified ‘shop front surround” was proposed which aimed to “restore the proportions of the original façade to the property”, along with “structural repair works” to “ensure that the building will remain safe for use”.

The proposed “shop front surround” was also intended to provide a housing for external shutters “which are required to secure the building at night when not in use.”

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on May 19, 2025.

Plans for 34 Norfolk Street included the repair of three existing first floor windows and a “shop fascia enclosing roller shutters with a canopy over the shop front” at ground floor level, along with ground floor window repairs.

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It was noted that the applicant had “made several amendments to the proposals following discussions with Sunderland City Council’sprincipal conservation officer”.

This included “more timber components and detailing such as the panelling between the windows, continuous cills beneath the windows / panelling” and more.

Council planners, in a decision report, said the amended plans were “closer to a traditional shop front scheme”, compared to the originally submitted plans.

It was noted that “current proposals will considerably improve the existing poor state of the frontage of the building and secure some enhancement of the character and appearance of this part of the Sunniside Conservation Area.”

Planning documents state that the property at 34 Norfolk Street and the other buildings forming the former Norfolk Hotel are not listed.

Applicants added that plans aim to initially “repair and redecorate the existing windows as a temporary measure” and to fully replace windows with “new timber sash style windows in the future when funding allows this to take place”.

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It was noted that works to the frontage of 34 Norfolk Street would “significantly improve both the appearance and security of the property.”

Sunderland-based Marengo Estates took over the 16,000sqft hotel and its 45 bedrooms back in 2022, with ambitious plans to repurpose the site for the future.

In April, 2025, developers said work was “almost finished” on phase one of the redevelopment of the Norfolk Hotel, namely ‘the townhouse’ section of the site, and that new shutters had gone up.

Developers confirmed work would turn to the outside of the building next, which has already had a new roof and structural reinforcement, as well as phase two, which will create dozens of new commercial spaces.

For more information on the recent planning application and council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/00439/FUL