Sunderland planners deliver verdict on very different new use for old Fawcett Street tattoo studio

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for a commercial unit at 24 Fawcett Street in the city centre, a site formerly used by Triplesix Studios.

Earlier this year (2025), applicant WEA sought permission to change the building use to an “adult learning environment” along with alterations to the shopfront.

According to its website, WEA: Adult Learning Within Reach is an “adult education charity with a legacy that stretches back over a hundred years” and has a mission of “bringing adult education within reach of everyone who needs it, fighting inequality and promoting social justice.”

The charity offers a wide range of courses from “work and life skills”, ranging from digital skills, health and social care and management, to budgeting, communication and cookery, along with courses linked to languages and culture, humanities and science and more.

A design and access statement submitted to council officials earlier this year described the development as a “proposed WEA classroom centre”.

Planning documents noted that the building’s ground floor had recently been used as a tattoo studio and prior to that, as retail units and that “the upper floors are not in use to the public as they are primarily used for store areas”.

Applicants added the proposed refurbishment would open up the wider building, providing a “contemporary and flexible learning environment comprising of four classrooms, a new platform lift that will span three floors, and staff and ancillary accommodation”, along with “the installation of a new staircase”.

Plans for the ground floor included two classrooms and office space, with breakout spaces with a small kitchen, toilet facilities and a “reconfigured” front facade of the building “to fit the internal layout” while “keeping the modern shopfront aesthetic”.

Meanwhile, proposals for the building’s first floor include a classroom, office space and an accessible toilet, while proposals for the second floor include an IT suite and a classroom with loft access.

The building’s third floor is also earmarked for “private use and primarily for storage.”

During the planning application process amended plans were submitted for the development, including the use of “green coloured aluminium todoor frames and signage background” and “retaining timber sliding sash windows to the [building’s] rear elevation.”

After considering the planning application, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on December 10, 2025.

Council planners, in a decision report, said the proposed use would “protect the vitality of the area and would therefore be considered acceptable in principle”.

The council’s conservation officer said the amended plans would have a “negligible impact on the conservation area”, with the amended plans “incorporating green into the door frames and signage background which are considered acceptable within the context of the street scene.”

The council’s highways department also raised no objections and said the development complied with planning policies.

Those behind the development previously said the proposal to convert 24 Fawcett Street into a WEA adult classes building was “well aligned with the character, heritage and policy goals of Sunniside Conservation Area”.

This included the plans “activating heritage buildings, enhancing public benefit, improving accessibility and maintaining the architectural integrity of the area”.

The design and access statement adds: “The proposal is designed in a way to minimise any changes on the external to preserve the heritage significance of the site and surroundings.

“The platform lift and internal reconfiguration are justified by the need to provide inclusive and flexible learning spaces and the ancillary works are necessary to support the main educational use.”

Under planning conditions, the development must be brought forward within three years.

For more information on the plan and council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/02239/FUL

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