Ryhope church to be demolished to make way for new Sunderland bungalow development after plans approved

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee, this week, approved plans to redevelop the site of the St. Cuthbert’s Methodist Church in the Ryhope area.

The city council application proposed the demolition of the building, which sits on the junction of Western Hill and Shaftesbury Avenue, and erection of six bungalows with associated “staff hubs”, parking and landscaping.

A design and access statement submitted on behalf of the city council described the church building as “dilapidated” and said it had been unused for a number of years, with new proposals aiming to revamp the site.

This included the erection of “high quality, bespoke housing for use by adult social care of Sunderland City Council” which would be aimed at people aged over 55 who require extra support and care.

The planning application was discussed by the Planning and Highways Committee at a meeting at City Hall on Monday, April 17.

Council planning officers, in a report prepared ahead of the meeting, deemed the scheme acceptable and recommended it for approval.

The council report added the development would allow “people with varying care needs to live as independently as possible” and would also assist the council in meeting housing targets.

While acknowledging the plans would lead to the loss of a community facility, council planners noted the building was in a “poor condition” and had been unused for years.

At the planning meeting this week, councillor James Doyle questioned the principle of development and whether other community uses for the church site had been considered.

Councillor Colin Nicholson added: “It may be in a bad state of repair but from what I have read on the internet there’s a lot of residents in Ryhope that are saying they’re sorry to see it go.

“Memories such as christenings, funerals and weddings. It does hold a lot of memories for a lot of people […] when you say it’s in such a bad state, is it past the realm of repair? Can it not be used for anything else.”

Council planning officers, responding, said no-one had come forward to take the building on, in part due to its ‘restrictive’ internal layout and style.

After being put to the vote, the bungalow plans won unanimous support from the Planning and Highways Committee.

Cllr Doyle also welcomed the development being designed to wheelchair accessible standards and described it as a “great application”.

Proposals for the site include three specialist three-bedroom bungalows with links to two staff hubs and three two-bedroom bungalows with communal living areas, with the development also benefiting from assistive technology.

Under the scheme, the bungalows would face into a central courtyard area to “enclose the site and create a community feel within” with greenspace located to the periphery of the site being used for private or shared gardens.

Access to the bungalows is proposed from Shaftesbury Avenue via a shared surface road, with 12 parking spaces available within the site and a turning head to allow vehicles to exit in forward gear.

Council planning officers, in a report, noted that there had been no public objections and that the development was acceptable in terms of design, highway and pedestrian safety and impacts on residential amenity.

The planning approval is subject to the expiry of the council’s consultation period on April 23, 2023.

Under planning conditions, work on the development must take place within three years.