Thousands of Sunderland residents set for another chance to speak out on development plan

A last round of public consultation on Sunderland's Local Plan is being prepared.

The plan aims to deliver 13,410 new homes by 2033, and provide at least 95 hectares of land - the equivalent of more than 100 football pitches - for new businesses and jobs.

More than 5,000 residents responded to a consultation exercise which was held in August, September and October last year, the results of which have led to a number of changes being made to the plan.

Speaking at the meeting, Coun Michael Mordey, the deputy leader of the council, said: "The majority of respondents in the consultation opposed the identification of sites in the green belt for possible development.

"People were concerned about the impact development would have on existing communities, including impacts on schools and roads.

"Residents were also strongly opposed to the inclusion of a temporary site for Gypsies.

"People were concerned that the housing requirement was too high and that brownfield sites were not prioritised.

"Therefore, as this is a listening council, the plan has been updated to reflect more of the opinions about what our residents want."

Coun Mordey outlined that previously developed land in communities will be maximised for future developments, with 90% in the current urban area.

He also revealed that the number of possible development sites in the green belt has been reduced from 15 to 11, and that there will be no allocation of a temporary travellers' site.

The overall annual housing requirement has also been reduced from 768 to 745 a year.

More details on the next round of consultation are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Coun Mordey said: "This consultation in June and July is different from previous rounds of consultation as its purpose is to seek views on if the plan and its documents are all sound and based on robust evidence.

"Once again, there will be an opportunity for as many people as possible to have their say and comment on the document."

The draft plan also includes a hot food takeaway policy to address the large number of such businesses in the city.

It also aims to improve transport links and backs an expansion of the Metro system in Sunderland.