Sunderland approves Vistry’s Civic Centre scheme

Vistry has been given the green light to redevelop Sunderland’s Civic Centre as a new residential community. The city’s planning committee approved plans for its former base to be replaced with 265 homes last night, which will be developed by Vistry Partnerships. The scheme will also include public open spaces as well as cycling and pedestrian links, improving access to the city centre. Peter McIntyre, executive director of city development at Sunderland City Council, said: “Having made the move to our new City Hall only a matter of weeks ago, I am delighted to see plans for the former Civic Centre site given the green light.” At the heart of the plans is a proposal to recreate Saint George’s Square, which was damaged by bombs during the Second World War and subsequently lost to redevelopment in the 1960s, with the Grade II listed Saint George’s House as the focal point. The Civic Centre redevelopment is part of a wider plan to build more than 7,000 new homes across the city by 2030. This will ensure that Sunderland has the volume and variety of homes it needs to attract and retain a diverse range of residents. The completed one- to four-bedroom homes will be sold under Vistry’s housebuilding brand, Linden Homes. Andrew Rennie, development director with Vistry Partnerships North East, said: “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 while benefiting from the close proximity to the city centre.” Sunderland City Council is also delivering on ambitions to develop contemporary new city centre homes on the Riverside Sunderland site, and at Northern Spire Park alongside the stunning Northern Spire bridge, as well as driving developments at the seafront and Sunderland South Growth Area. The council announced plans to relocate from its current base to Riverside Sunderland in 2019. It has now moved into the 190,000 sq ft Sunderland City Hall, which has been funded by Legal & General. L&G is also working with Landid to develop two speculative offices that will stand on adjacent plots. Lichfields Planning Consultants advised on the Civic Centre scheme. To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image from Vistry