Specialist college revives axed plans for new Sunderland campus to boost North East capacity

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received a fresh planning application for 1 Grayling Court in the Doxford International Business Park.

UK Management College (UKMC), which already has a number of campuses across England, previously lodged a formal planning bid to open a new site in Sunderland to “increase capacity” in the North East of England.

According to a planning statement submitted to council officials at the time, UKMC offers “BA (Hons) courses in the likes of business management, digital marketing management, and health and social care”.

It was noted that the provider would also offer courses in BA (Hons) fashion design, BA (Hons) event management, BA (Hons) hospitality and tourism and “many other demanding subjects.”

A supporting statement from the applicant, included within a planning statement, noted “employability skills will be embedded in the curriculum” and that “companies aligning with the curriculum [would be] invited for guest lectures, potentially taking our students for placements or summer internships and to work together on research projects with our students and staff”.

Doxford International Business Park was identified by the college provider as “the ideal location for our new campus.”

During the planning process however, the specialist college provider withdrew the plans on November 14, 2025, following policy concerns raised by council officers.

Sunderland City Council said the site was in a “primary employment area” and the plans did not “justify the loss of employment land”.

The council’s planning policy team noted the site lies within a Primary Employment Area which “safeguards” the area for certain business uses such as offices, general industrial and storage and distribution, “which are considered essential to the long-term success of Sunderland”.

Council officers asked the applicant to provide a justification for an exception, with college provider UKMC stating the plan would deliver “long-term use stability”, while providing “immediate educational provision for over 1,500 students and 40-60 staff”.

The applicant added the plans “satisfied and exceeded” the test due to the earmarked building’s “persistent vacancy despite sustained marketing”, viability issues with traditional office uses at the business park, the proposed college plan’s “direct alignment with city-wide educational and economic priorities” and more.

The council planning policy team’s response, posted on the local authority’s planning portal website, said the college proposals were not of “sufficient scale or merit to meet the exceptional thresholds” and that the “supporting statement does not indicate the uniqueness of the proposed development or how it differentiates in any substantive way to any other college activity.”

Following the withdrawal decision, a fresh planning application from college provider UKMC was received by Sunderland City Council on November 20, 2025.

A planning statement submitted with the new application noted that “given the high vacancy levels at Doxford International Business Park, there is considered to be sufficient flexibility within the city’s overall employment land supply to justify the proposed change of use”.

It was noted that the “office and employment market in Sunderland is undergoing a notable period of transformation, with significant new commercial development focused within the city centre”, including the new Maker & Faber buildings at Riverside Sunderland.

Those behind the resubmitted college campus plan said “future employment needs are being actively met within central Sunderland through a pipelineof new development, reducing the strategic reliance on out-of-centre sites like Doxford International Business Park”.

The planning statement adds: “The introduction of an educational facility in this location would not undermine employment land objectives but would instead deliver significant economic and social benefits, including skills development, job creation and sustainable reuse of vacant built stock.”

Councillor Heather Fagan, a representative for the city’s Doxford ward, also called the application into Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee for consideration.

This formal “call in” request aims to ensure that the application is decided by councillors on the decision-making panel at a meeting held in public.

Cllr Fagan’s supporting statement, posted on the council’s planning portal website, added: “Whilst I appreciate that it may be deviating away from the intended use of office space, the reality is that we have numerous empty buildings on Doxford International that are not being utilised.

“Therefore I think we need to give fair consideration to alternative uses to some of these buildings and this would be a suitable use in my view.”

The UK Management College website has been advertising a “Sunderland campus”, which it describes as an “enriching and inclusive atmosphere, ideal for academic growth and personal development.”

Those behind the proposed college campus scheme said it would “deliver significant economic and social benefits, including skills development, job creation, and sustainable reuse of vacant built stock”, as well as “upskilling local students who may go on to work locally, including at Doxford International Business Park itself.”

Supporting planning documents also described UKMC as “a franchise private educational institution” and noted the applicant was “hoping to work with University of Sunderland.”

For more information on the resubmitted plans, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/02722/FUL

For the latest public notices from your area, please visit:https://publicnoticeportal.uk/