Update on work after new Sunderland station opening met with 'mockery'

City chiefs have stressed they are continuing to work with partners around Sunderland’s new railway station entrance and the “majority” of feedback to date has been positive, ahead of a planned retail offer being introduced.

It comes after opposition councillors criticised the £27million southern entrance at Sunderland Station, which was unveiled in December 2023.

A question was put forward at the latest full authority meeting of Sunderland City Council, on Wednesday, January 24, calling for information to be provided as to what works are left to complete on the station and a timetable for the finishing touches.

Asked by Conservative group leader councillor Antony Mullen, on behalf of his party colleague councillor Adele Graham-King, the question also claimed “the PR surrounding the opening of the new railway station entrance has led to widespread mockery because of how bare it is.”

Councillor Graeme Miller, city council leader, responded at the meeting by noting the building is owned by Network Rail and has been designed by the organisation’s internal design team to meet set standards and requirements, with the council having “a limited input”.

However he stressed Network Rail is “working with council officers to examine how we can enhance the appearance of the wall space on the concourse”, adding retail units have always been planned, but the construction phase had to be completed first.

Labour’s Cllr Miller said: “The building itself is designed specifically to incorporate as much daylight as possible in the concourse area, something the previous building failed to achieve.

“The concourse is designed to take up to three pop-up retail investments and along with seeking tenants for the final fixed retail units within the station, this will significantly animate the area.

“On the day that we opened, it was clearly a very open space and I have spoke with Northern Rail about that, and it was really good to see that the public were coming in, the vast majority of them..they were loving the fact that it was nice and light and airy, safe and all the rest of it.”

He added the new southern concourse is “substantially complete”, with only a few minor elements to go, which will then allow further work to take place in the near future, including providing a retail offer.

Cllr Miller continued: “There were a few other residents saying where can I get a coffee, it would be nice to have a few more seats, the chief executive and I fed that back, and our partners are looking at it.

“They always had a plan to be putting retail in there, it just isn’t there yet, because until the construction phase of the contract is complete, and all that snagging is done, then it’s not appropriate.”

The meeting also heard the council continues to work closely with partners on both the southern entrance and its “wider improvement programme” for the station.