Sunderland council chiefs quizzed on what will be housed in £7.5million redevelopment of Crowtree site

Car parking, shops and even a park or public square are all earmarked for the land next to the Bridges Shopping Centre.

But development chiefs have refused to be drawn on what could eventually be housed on the site, referencing instead plans for a ‘mixed offer’ in the city centre.

Coun Robert Oliver, leader of the city’s Conservative opposition group, asked: “Is [Crowtree] aimed at any specific type of retail?

“It’s essentially an extension of the Bridges, but will it be a higher offer of similar to what is already in the Bridges?”

Coun Oliver was speaking at a meeting of the council’s Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee, where councillors had the chance to quiz city bosses on spending plans for 2020/21.

“There will be commercial sensitivities,” said Jon Ritchie, the city council’s executive director of corporate services, when asked about the plans.

“But the approach to the overall city centre shopping experience is a mixed offer, with national high street brands and also more bespoke providers and pop up shops.

“This is linked to our bid for the Future High Streets Fund, we were one of the first 50 cities in the country to be selected to bid for that.

“We need to create the environment for the companies to come, things like the 5G wifi in High Street West will hopefully attract more people in and as footfall increases that will attract more businesses.”

The government’s Future High Streets Fund is a £1billion scheme through which local authorities can bid to ‘improve transport and access into town centres, convert empty retail units into new homes and workplaces, and invest in vital infrastructure.’

The city council’s budget for the next financial year adds it expects developments on the Crowtree site to provide income via a ‘rental stream’.

The former leisure centre once hosted everything from a swimming pool and ice rink to indoor bowls and even an edition of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, but was demolished in 2013.