Plans approved for relocated hair and beauty training academy in Sunderland city centre

Plans for a Sunderland hair and beauty training academy to relocate to new premises have been approved by city development chiefs.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has backed an application linked to Bella Marie Training Academy.

The business has been based at the historic former employment exchange building at Borough Road in the Hendon ward for many years.

Back in June, 2023, a planning application was approved to convert the ground floor of the building into apartments.

At the time, Bella Marie Training Academy confirmed it was planning to relocate to new premises at 35 Frederick Street in the city centre.

Later the same year, a planning application was submitted to council officials seeking permission for the move.

This included changing the use of offices at the Grade II-listed Frederick Street building to a ‘beauty training centre’.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on January 11, 2024.

A council decision report stated opening hours at the centre would be Monday to Friday, 9am until 3pm, and that there would be 10 students.

The internal layout also proposed training rooms across the basement and ground floors, two offices and one training room on the first floor and a kitchen and toilets on the top floor.

Council planners, in a decision report, said the proposals were acceptable and would “provide an educational facility within a central location”.

It was also noted that the proposed operating hours would “ensure that any disturbance early in the morning or late in the evening would be avoided”.

Council planners said that the proposal would not “create additional comings and goings over and above that which would have been generated by the existing offices”.

The council decision report added: “Although no parking provision is proposed, the site is located within the city centre and very accessible to public transport services including rail, metro and buses.

“Taking this into account, and the fact that the existing unit has no parking provision, the highway safety team has offered no objections and the proposal is acceptable from a highway safety point of view”.

Bella Marie Training Academy’s website lists 35 Frederick Street as its new Sunderland academy address, and also operates academy sites in Seaham.

The website states the academy offers short courses and VTCT qualifications, with a “highly skilled team of tutors on hand to support you [with] immediate access to their experience, skills and industry knowledge”.

For more information on the Sunderland planning application, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/02370/FUL