Sunderland’s M&S facade could be staying in Riverside redevelopment - but debate over who’s to thank

There have been questions over the future of the High Street West building since high street giant M&S announced in January, 2024, that it was closing its city centre department store.

The branch shut its doors for the final time at the end of May, 2024, with the retailer promoting its improved and enlarged store at The Galleries Retail Park in Washington as its new offering for Wearside.

Sunderland City Council owns the empty city centre store, but the lease remains in the hands of M&S until March, 2027, with the local authority previously stating its hands remained tied on the building until that date.

The council’s chief executive Patrick Melia was previously quoted in an article in the Observer in June, 2024, revealing that the council was “planning to knock down the ageing building and replace it with the second phase of offices.”

In an interview with the BBC published the same month, Mr Melia said demolition was “necessary” for the next phase of redevelopment in the city centre, but added the local authority would not rule out keeping part of the building’s façade “if we think there is value in retaining some of that.”

The city council had not previously specifically said that the building would be bulldozed, but city leaders insisted the council’s Riverside Sunderland delivery plan “includes explicit reference to a remodelled High Street West, including the replacement of this building with high quality offices and further retail.”

Councillor Michael Mordey, Labour leader of Sunderland City Council, speaking in June, 2024, also said that “no timescale on demolition of any buildings” could be given at that time but noted any proposals for the street would be communicated via the planning process.

Around a year later, questions about the future of the M&S building were raised again at a meeting of Sunderland City Council, with specific reference to the future of the building’s facade.

Councillor Michael Mordey, Labour leader of Sunderland City Council, said the Riverside Sunderland masterplan specifically demonstrated the council’s “intention to retain” the existing Marks & Spencer building facade.

“The Riverside Sunderland masterplan published in October, 2020, identifies the future vision for the north of High Street West to provide a mixed-use development of ground floor retail and leisure uses with upper floors of office accommodation,” Cllr Mordey said.

“The masterplan document demonstrates the council’s intention to retain the existing Marks & Spencer building facade.

“In progressing with the next phase of the Riverside Sunderland development along High Street West, the council’s design team is currently finalising feasible development proposals.

“The design proposals for High Street West will be made available for consultation later in the year in advance of a planning application.”

The comments were made during the most recent meeting of Sunderland City Council on March 26, 2025, at City Hall and Cllr Mordey was responding to a public question from former Conservative councillor Greg Peacock.

The public question said: “In 2019 the then deputy leader Michael Mordey said that the Doxford Shipyard archway would be ‘taken down brick by brick, stored and then will be reconstructed’.

“Can he make a similar commitment to preserve and protect the M&S building frontage on the high street as it is one of the only truly beautiful buildings left in the city?”

Conservative councillors have previously applied to Historic England to try and give the building listed status “to protect certain parts […] from major architectural changes – such as the vintage art deco exterior – or from being knocked down”, however the application was not taken forward.

In a social media statement published after the March, 2025, full council meeting, Sunderland Conservatives said their campaigning had “saved the M&S building facade”.

The statement said “at last night’s meeting we finally got a commitment to protect the building by the council.

However, Labour councillor Kevin Johnston, the council’s cabinet member for business, housing and regeneration, stressed the facade was “never under threat”.

He also said that “feasibility studies looking into the art of the possible for the future of the facade are already under way” and dismissed comments that the Conservatives had “secured its protection” as “complete nonsense”.

Cllr Johnston added: “All of the plans for Riverside Sunderland – some of which have been in the public domain for years – have stipulated that we will do everything we can as a council to ensure the existing facade of the former M&S building remains intact, so for the Conservatives to claim they have somehow secured its protection is complete nonsense.”

The Riverside Sunderland Masterplan, published in October, 2020, sets out details of the council’s wider ambition for High Street West, including a “central business district”.

The planning document states: “We have identified four development sites which are defined by the historic lanes linking High Street West to St Mary’s Boulevard.

“These sites will deliver approximately 430,000 square feet of office space by 2030.

“The sites will be developed primarily for offices, but with active ground floor uses and potential for some other mixed-use elements”.

It was noted that the “restoration and activation of the ‘lost lanes’ will create a more permeable urban form and encourage pedestrian movement between the railway station and Riverside Sunderland.”

Following the council buying the former Mothercare and Argos stores in High Street West as part of the transformation plans, demolition work has progressed and the site is now cleared in advance of future development proposals.

Sunderland City Council states the Riverside Sunderland masterplan (2020) demonstrates what council leader Cllr Mordey referred to as the council’s “intention to retain the existing Marks & Spencer building facade.”

The local authority specifically pointed to page 52 of the masterplan, which shows a large computer generated image of future proposals for the city centre’s ‘central business district’, and noted the image shows the M&S facade still in place.

The M&S building was also discussed at a recent meeting of the council’s Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee (April 1, 2025), with Conservative councillor Lyall Reed asking for clarity that the “facade of that building won’t be touched”.

Neil Guthrie, development director for Sunderland City Council, did not provide detail on the future of the building but confirmed wider work was taking place behind the scenes.

He told councillors that a “planning application for the north side of the high street” was in the pipeline, with “options for future development” being “worked up”.

The morning after the High Street West M&S closure was announced (January 18, 2024), the issue was discussed at a meeting of Sunderland City Council’s ruling Labour cabinet.

Peter McIntyre, the council’s executive director of city development, confirmed the council had been “in conversation” with M&S for five years about its Sunderland branch and that despite the offer of several alternative city centre sites, none of the buildings fit the company’s “criteria”.

Council leader Michael Mordey has since confirmed that any demolition plans for the building would be “communicated via the planning process in the usual way”.

Speaking back in June, 2024, the senior councillor added that “M&S – not the council – have been, and will continue to be, responsible for the condition of the building until the end of their lease in 2027.”

“Former Conservative Councillor for St Anne’s Greg Peacock asked a detailed public question and got confirmation that our campaign had been successful – the beautiful building will be saved.”