Supported temporary housing scheme for old Portsmouth Road pub site blocked over crime concerns

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has blocked an application for a parcel of land near the Pennywell shopping centre in the St Anne’s ward.

The site at Portsmouth Road once housed The Eagle public house but has sat vacant for decades since the pub’s demolition in the mid-1990s.

New plans from MCC Homes, submitted earlier this year, sought permission to re-purpose the site with a new building providing “supported temporary housing for 12 single males”.

Planning documents said the development would provide 12 one-bed self-contained apartments, along with “communal and support office space”.

A design and access statement added the proposed building would have one main access and staff and visitor parking and that support would be provided to up to 12 residents to allow them to “live safely in the scheme and gain skills to allow them to move on to living in their own property”.

The design and access statement noted residents would be “likely to remain at the scheme for approximately six months” and although the support provider linked to the development was not named, it was noted the scheme’s operator would be “procured by the council”.

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Sunderland City Council, in a previous statement, said the MCC Homes plan was for “self-contained apartments for vulnerable people who need support and a safe place to live while they look to secure a new home”.

The council added the city is seeing an increase in homelessness and that it had a “social duty to help people who find themselves without a home.”

During a council consultation exercise on the plans however, there was a public backlash against the supported housing with 45 objections raising a range of concerns.

This included the proposed building representing an “inappropriate use” in an area close to schools and community buildings, as well as the visual impact of high walls and concerns about the development creating anti-social behaviour, noise and safeguarding issues.

The plans also sparked an objection from all three St Anne’s city councillors and in a joint statement, concerns were raised about the consultation process and the “unsuitable” site location due to its “proximity to so many vulnerable groups”, including a school and a nursery.

St Anne’s ward councillors Lynne Dagg, Catherine Hunter and Susan Watson also pointed to a “lack of clarity in the consultation and in the documents submitted for planning” and an “increase in community tension and apprehension” over the proposals.

Northumbria Police, in a separate statement, raised concerns about “the potential for an increase in demand on the policing in the area, from either issues with the residents in the location or the immediate area”.

The police noted that the “local area is considered a crime hotspot” with the Portsmouth Road area facing issues with anti-social behaviour, as well as theft and violence offences.

After considering the planning application for the care development and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department refused it on December 12, 2024.

Three main reasons for refusal were given, including a proposed two-metre-high wall and gated access being “out of character with the locality” and the proposed development having an “unacceptable adverse impact upon amenity of existing and future residents, creating social tensions which cannot be adequately mitigated”.

The third reason for refusal included concerns about “introducing residential accommodation to house vulnerable adults into an area which is already a hotspot for crime and antisocial behaviour”.

It was argued that the development would “place vulnerable adults within the vicinity of high-level crime which would undermine the quality of life and community cohesion for existing residents of the locality and any future occupiers of the development.”

The reasons for refusal are set out in a council decision report published on Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website.

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The council report concludes: “The principle of development within the site is considered acceptable, however, due to the high levels of crime within the locality, the proposed use class C2 is not considered acceptable in this location.

“The scale and massing of the building is considered acceptable, however, the addition of a 2m high wall with railings and the addition of secure 2m high gated access, is considered to be out of character with the locality, it would affect the open feel of the area.

“Its scale and massing would not respect or enhance the positive qualities of nearby properties and the locality; it would appear incongruous with the existing properties along Portsmouth Road, Parkhurst Road and Petersfield Road.

“The application proposes the installation of solar panels to the roof on the southern elevation of the two-story element of the building [which] is considered acceptable.

“The proposed use of the development would not function well within this location and would not add to the overall quality of the area.

“The development would not create a strong sense of place which encourages social interaction; ensure a good standard of amenity for all existing and future occupiers of land and buildings; it would have an unacceptable adverse impact upon amenity of existing and future residents, creating social tensions which cannot be adequately mitigated.

“It would introduce residential accommodation to house vulnerable adults into an area which is already a hotspot for crime and anti-social behaviour, which in turn may exasperate the problem, increase the demands on the existing police force and impact negatively on community cohesion.”

Previously submitted planning documents said MCC Homes purchased the land in 2021 and had been “actively working with the local authority to develop a scheme to provide the required accommodation”.

The design and access statement from the applicant said the scheme would be “staffed 24/7 with a minimum of two support staff members, who will provide experienced support and effectively manage any potential issues”.

Those behind the scheme added a curfew would be in operation for residents “between the hours 11.00pm to 7.30am” and that the “support provider will manage any challenging behaviour and ensure that an individual’s support plan is in place”.

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It was also noted that the support provider, once agreed, would “work alongside the local and wider community delivering on the council’s social values to create a positive impact and ensure the smooth transition of the scheme into the locality.”

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

For more information on the planning application or council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/02150/FUL