Sunderland city centre flats plan refused again after fears development would 'make a mockery' of development ambitions

Back in August, 2022, Sunderland City Council’s planning department validated an application for 15 Waterloo Place near the city’s central rail station.

The corner retail unit was last occupied by the Herbert Brown jewellery shop but according to planning documents, it has been empty for more than two years.

A number of bids have been made since to convert the upper floors into residential accommodation, including an application for six self-contained apartments.

However the accommodation plans were labelled “sub-standard” by council planners and refused in June, 2022.

Months later, a second bid was lodged to convert the upper floors, this time into a “six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) for up to 12 people”.

According to submitted floor plans, each bedroom would have an en-suite room with toilet and shower facilities and the building would also offer a communal kitchen area and communal toilet at first floor level.

The resubmitted plans aimed to address previous issues raised by the council and included a bin storage area and the submission of a noise assessment, as well as the ground floor remaining in retail use.

However the second application also sparked opposition with eight public objections received by the council raising a number of concerns.

This included the “over-concentration” of HMOs in the city centre, increased antisocial behaviour impacting on businesses and noise and disturbance.

Some of the named city businesses objecting to the HMO included Hills Art Centre on Waterloo Place, Harrison and Brown Furniture on Holmeside and Norfolk Street Studios.

A consultation comment from Norfolk Street Studios said the plans, if approved, would “undermine” investment being made into the Sunniside area and “make a mockery of all Sunderland is striving to achieve as a city”.

The statement added : “As a city the days of accepting less than desired usage to fill empty buildings must be left behind.

“There are plenty of investors with inspired visions for repurposing of city centre buildings, and freehold property in Sunderland has never been more scarce.”

After assessing the HMO plan against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department refused it on October 17, 2022.

A number of reasons were given for the refusal, including “inadequate provision” for refuse storage and the “sub-standard level of accommodation and amenity” for potential occupiers.

The third reason included the proposal being “detrimental to the visual amenities of the host property and the street scene in general”.

A council planning decision report added: “Although residential accommodation in this location is acceptable in principle, the proposal represents the over-development of the site.

“There is inadequate provision for the storage of refuse within the curtilage of the site, that will inevitably lead to the storage of refuse bins within the highway, which is not acceptable from a highway safety or a visual amenity point of view.

“The quality of the accommodation to be provided is inadequate in terms of the internal space available to the potential residents and the poor outlook and light levels offered by the only windows to the apartments”.

The applicant has the right to challenge the council’s refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State.

For more information on the planning application and council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s online planning portal and search reference: 22/01619/SUB