Placefirst plan approved for £33m Sunderland resi scheme

Placefirst’s plan for a £33m residential neighbourhood in Sunderland has received planning approval. Following Sunderland City Council’s decision, the build-to-rent developer-operator will begin work on site by June 2025 to transform the 4.57-acre brownfield site on Farringdon Row into 165 homes. The scheme will comprise 67 homes and 98 apartments for long-term rent, ranging in size from two-to-three bedrooms and one-to-two bedrooms respectively.   Farringdon Row is the second residential neighbourhood within Sunderland’s city centre regeneration project, dubbed Riverside Sunderland, which aims to build 1,000 homes and 1m sq ft of office space in the former industrial heart of the city. Placefirst worked with Sunderland City Council, the North East Combined Authority and Homes England to secure funding to support the delivery of this brownfield site in the Riverside regeneration area. Alun Davies, head of planning at Placefirst, said: “Amidst an ongoing housing crisis, the urgency to deliver better rental options in cities has never been greater. By working closely with Sunderland City Council we are pleased to have been able to fast-track the progress of this development to help realise Sunderland’s potential as one of the North East’s most vibrant and sought-after locations.” Kevin Johnston, cabinet member for business, housing and regeneration at Sunderland City Council, said: “Riverside Sunderland is a critical driver for the regeneration of the whole of the city centre, as we know that by increasing our residential population and driving more businesses to locate here we can deliver the critical mass of people needed to support our retail core and leisure venues, in turn uplifting the whole area.  “It’s a massive step forward in a part of the city that is quite simply unrecognisable from the place it once was.” The Riverside Sunderland masterplan aims to double the residential population in the city centre and increase employment by 50%, in keeping with the city’s housing strategy which will see 7,000 homes built by 2030. Placefirst’s Farringdon Row plan was completed in collaboration with local architect ID Partnerships and development consultant IC Planning, sustainable engineering consultants Cundall, landscape architects LUC, and mechanical and electrical engineering consultants TACE. See planning information for Sunderland >>