River Wear pontoon plans approved to boost riverside events and water sports in Sunderland

Proposals for permanent pontoons on the River Wear to boost riverside events have taken a step forward after winning approval from planning bosses.
Picture of the River Wear, c/o PixabayPicture of the River Wear, c/o Pixabay
Picture of the River Wear, c/o Pixabay

Following the success of events such as the Tall Ships, Sunderland City Council have been progressing plans for Manor Quay.

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The plans are also expected to have a “year-round benefit” for the university for river-related activities.

Earlier this year, the city’s ruling cabinet launched a process to award a contract for the design, manufacture and installation of the riverside structures.

At the time, around £360,000 had been earmarked for the project – an estimate based on temporary pontoons used at the 2018 Tall Ships event.

Following consultation, a planning application for the project has now been approved by the council’s planning authority.

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This includes 110m by 3m wide heavy duty pontoons, 20m by 3m wide canoe pontoons, two gangways and new electricity and fresh water connections.

The pontoons and gangways would be transported by road to either Manor Quay or the Port of Sunderland where they would be assembled then craned into position.

Pedestrian access would be via the existing Manor Quay promenade through a gated access point.

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Meanwhile, CCTV cameras would also be located both adjacent to the application site on the Manor Quay and to the south side of the river adjacent to Quayside House and Wylam Wharf.

The plans were officially approved on Monday, June 15 with no objections from the council’s ecologist, The Environment Agency of Natural England.

A council decision report reads: “It is considered that the proposed pontoons gangways and ancillary works would be an acceptable form of development in principle in a riverside location and close to the university campus.

“The development would be acceptable in character and appearance, would have no impact on residential amenity and the highways implications of the proposal would also be acceptable.”

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City bosses originally hoped to have the pontoons up and running in time for the 2020 summer events programme.

However as a result of Covid-19 several major events such as the Sunderland River Festival were cancelled amidst the pandemic.

According to planning documents, plans to install the pontoons are expected to take around six weeks.

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