Sunderland City Council’s planning committee have resolved to grant planning permission for 75 new, sustainable homes in Sunderland’s city centre.
TOWN revealed the residential-led plans for the Nile + Villiers community in March this year, which will breathe new life into the historic heart of the Sunniside area of the city centre.
Centrepiece of a wider place strategy developed over the last 18 months, the development project will transform the vacant site in Sunniside into a creative and cultural hub.
A key site as part of Sunderland’s City Plan, the development will bring a residential population back into the city centre, offering high-quality homes and vibrant city life.
Of those 75 homes being built, award-winning single-family housing developer-operator, Placefirst will forward fund the delivery of 65 dwellings which will see them own and manage the homes upon completion in 2026. The remaining 10 properties will be sold to local buyers.
The project, which was conceived with local community organisation Back on the Map working with TOWN and Create Streets, is supported by over £4 million of the previous government’s Levelling-Up Fund investment. TOWN has worked with a design team led by Xsite Architecture to prepare the scheme proposals.
Cllr Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, said: “It is fantastic to see work pressing ahead on the development of the Nile + Villiers community.
“The new homes, as well as the commercial and community units, will provide a significant economic boost to the local area and play a key role in helping us meet our ambitious housing targets.”
The project will feature a mix of two- and three-bedroom houses and duplexes echoing the historic fabric and grain of the site, a community energy microgrid providing residents with clean affordable energy, and shared gardens for residents. A new mixed-use building will recreate the frontage to High Street West and ensure the scheme is sensitively integrated within the Old Sunderland Conservation Area.
David Mawson, CEO of Placefirst, said: “Once complete, Nile + Villiers will be a key element in the regeneration of Sunderland, and as developer-operators, we understand the crucial role that quality and secure housing plays in any ambitious city undergoing transformation.
“In partnership with TOWN and Sunderland City Council, the scheme will see the delivery of high-quality housing solutions in the right area to meet local housing needs. Alongside our people-first approach to renting, our professionally managed homes will ensure that the evolving needs of tenants are met, as Sunderland prepares to welcome many residents back to the city centre.”
A design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) approach is being adopted to ensure construction is affordable, high-quality and generates opportunities for local workers and suppliers. The site, three blocks east of Sunderland station, will be cycle and pedestrian friendly in keeping with the Council’s low carbon and active travel objectives.
Construction is expected to start later in 2024 with the first properties likely to be occupied in 2026.
