'Scaled-back' plans submitted for former Louis Cafe building in Sunderland

Back in 2021, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved plans to repurpose the iconic Louis Café and Restaurant building as accommodation.

The business first started in Ryhope in 1924 and later opened in Crowtree Road in Sunderland city centre, before moving premises to Park Lane in 1975.

However, it closed its doors for the final time in 2018 after owners took the difficult decision to cease trading.

Owners Maria Lee and her brother Ged Maggiore, whose grandfather Louis created the restaurant, said although they are still inundated with customers, the time is right to hang up their aprons and retire.

A planning application from MTA Land Investments Ltd, which was approved on March 22, 2021, proposed big changes to the former café building.

This included converting the ground floor into a retail unit and two studio apartments and extending the building upwards by two storeys to provide cluster-type student apartments across three upper floors.

Due to the impact of Covid-19 and spiralling scheme costs, developers have scrapped elements of the original scheme, including the two new upper floors, and have gone back to the drawing board.

Revised plans aim to create stand-alone ‘student studio’ apartments with kitchen facilities, as well as communal kitchen and lounge facilities at ground floor level.

According to a design, access and planning statement prepared for the applicant, the revised plans would offer 16 student apartments instead of the 34 student accommodation units originally proposed.

To ensure the accommodation offer remains accessible, three accommodation suites are proposed with level access on the ground floor.

The design, access and planning statement reads: “The need to revisit the scheme has arisen due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic upon the project.

“An increase in costs arising from the associated delays and the price increase of materials have rendered the scheme in its approved configuration to be financially unviable to deliver.

“However, rather than lose all of this much-needed student accommodation, the proposition has now been revised and scaled back.”

The statement prepared for developers goes on to say: “In simple terms, without these changes, it would not currently be viable to deliver a scheme and this much-needed investment and contribution towards meeting the city’s student accommodation figures would be lost.

“As a consequence, the building would remain empty and would continue to gradually deteriorate in appearance.

“As with the approved scheme, great care has been taken to ensure the development would reinvigorate this tired looking property, making it contribute positively to its surroundings.

“Furthermore, by bringing this building back into use on this busy city centre throughfare, there would be an increase in the number of residents in this part of the city, which should be welcomed as they would add to the vibrancy of the city centre and increase footfall throughout the daytime and into the evening.”

A decision on the revised plans from MTA Land Investments Ltd is expected to be made by the end of May, 2022.

For more information on the application or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s online planning portal and search reference: 22/00192/FUL

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