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Riverside Sunderland – Next Steps

Guidelines for creating thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new homes at Riverside Sunderland are being considered by the City Council’s Cabinet.

Drafted for developers, such as businesses and house builders, the special planning document is being finalised for a round of consultation (link below).

Riverside Sunderland will double the resident population of the city centre from 2,500 to 5,000, and increase employment by 50 per cent to 18,000. Financial services giant Legal & General announced in November it is investing £100m into the city centre and at the former Vaux brewery site where business and office use is a priority.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller said: “This City Council is committed to improving all areas of Sunderland and a key part of these improvements is creating a more dynamic city centre. We are creating and planning a new urban quarter in the centre of Sunderland with new businesses and new homes.

“Riverside Sunderland is quality workspaces and homes that attract investors, businesses, residents, students and workers. This is about raising the bar with the very highest quality and sustainable developments.

“The draft guidance that’s going before the Cabinet sets out our aspirations and ambitions and I have no hesitation in recommending it to my Cabinet colleagues for their approval. Subject to the Cabinet’s decision, we can begin the consultation process and maintain momentum with the exciting Riverside Sunderland programme.”

Subject to Cabinet, consultation with the public, local businesses and statutory bodies, could begin later this month.

The draft Supplementary Planning Document sets out the following principles and parameters that will ensure the effective planning of Riverside Sunderland:

• The context, vision and objectives for Riverside Sunderland;

• Site constraints and opportunities; • Land use and development capacity;

• Character areas, building heights and appearance;

• Layout, open space and accessibility;

• Indicative delivery and phasing strategy;

• Future planning application requirements.

The draft Riverside Sunderland planning guide is here: Document