A national housebuilder has been selected as the preferred developer to drive forward a new residential scheme in Sunderland city centre.
Vistry Partnerships North East will build 275 homes on the site of the civic centre site on Burdon Road, which will be vacated by Sunderland City Council later this year.
Sunderland City Council’s cabinet is expected to approve the conditional sale of the land next week, with council leaders saying Vistry’s proposal most closely aligned with the its vision for the redevelopment of the site.
The residential scheme will include around properties, many with views across Mowbray Park. They will be sold by Vistry’s housing brand Linden Homes.
The scheme will include open spaces and enhanced links to the city centre, Ashbrooke and Mowbray Park. There is also proposal to recreate Saint George’s Square – bomb damaged during the Second World War and lost to redevelopment in the 60s – with the Grade II listed Saint George’s House as the focal point.
Council leader Graeme Miller said: “We’re delighted to have attracted such a strong field of proposals from developers who see the vast potential of this prominent city centre site.
“Its position, among a prestigious residential community, means that when this site is developed out, it will deliver a stunning new place to live that increases city centre population and footfall, supporting the daytime and evening economy.
"We’re looking forward to seeing this site transformed into an attractive place to live, and playing its part in driving the development of a more dynamic, prosperous city centre, bringing more spending power into the heart of Sunderland.”
Most Read
If the land sale is approved, Vistry is expected to submit a planning application for the homes in late autumn and that demolition of the old Civic Centre could get underway in early 2022.
Sean Egan, managing director with Vistry Partnerships North East, said: “We are delighted that our bid to create a modern new community, whilst enhancing the green links to other important parts of the city has been so well received by the council.
“We aim to create an attractive new residential quarter that sits comfortably within the surrounding architecture, with a focus on green space that encourages community use. It will be a fantastic new inclusive neighbourhood with its own distinctive character, providing a new housing offer on the edge of Ashbrooke and Mowbray Park whilst benefiting from the close proximity to the city centre.”
The civic centre redevelopment is part of a wider plan to build more than 7,000 new homes across the city by 2030.
Other housing developments moving forward across the city include the Avant Homes and Miller Homes scheme at Seaburn,a £40m scheme delivered by Karbon Homes in North Hylton and a £400m plus plan by Gentoo to invest in its existing stock, as well as a significant new affordable homes programme.
Sunderland City Council is also set to deliver contemporary new city centre homes on the Riverside Sunderland site, and at Northern Spire Park alongside the Northern Spire bridge.
Coun Miller has also vowed to deliver a train station that “the city and its residents deserve”, after revealing that a phased programme to transform it is set to move forward.
Don’t miss
The local authority is working with partners to accelerate design work on the southern entrance of the station, in a move he believes will inject pace and urgency into the city’s bid to fully revamp both its concourses and platforms.
Last week it emerged that more than £26m had been secured to transform the southern entrance to the station. The plans, he says, “will push Sunderland station higher on the agenda of key stakeholders and deliver a station we can all be proud of”.