Member Article

Residents invited to discuss £100m Sunderland masterplan

Siglion, the business carrying out a £100m transformation of major Sunderland sites, is inviting local people to view and comment on the proposed masterplan design for the former Vaux Brewery site for the first time on Tuesday 18 August.

The exhibition will be at The Bridges Shopping Centre from 10am-5pm and at the Siglion office, ground floor, Echo 24 building in the city centre from 6.30pm-8.00pm on 18 August.

The masterplan shows a mix of uses at the five and a half hectare landmark site, including offices, retail, restaurants and cafes, a hotel, residential apartments, car park and leisure spaces.

The plan will create new public spaces with path and cycle routes along the cliff edge and through the site, with high quality public open spaces and continuation of the Keel Line linking the cliff edge to the City Centre via Keel Square.

The first phase development is being designed by architects Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios and the masterplan by urban designers URBED.

Siglion is also devising a strategy for using parts of the site prior to construction starting and during its development to keep it open to the public and attract people to the site.

More information on the scheme will be provided during the consultation event. People are invited to drop in any time during the opening hours, and team members will be on hand to take people through the scheme and answer questions.

John Seager, chief executive of Siglion, said: “This is an important day for us and for Sunderland people, who’ll see the exciting ideas and masterplan for a key gateway site for the city. The development will transform the city centre, bring new opportunities for jobs, create new places to live, and spaces to enjoy and relax. We hope as many people as possible come alongon Tuesday to see the masterplan for themselves.”

This is the first of three sites that will be transformed as part of Siglion’s £100m plus regeneration of Sunderland.

The joint venture company between Carillion and Sunderland City Council, with Igloo Regeneration providing development, asset and fund management, will create new jobs and growth through bringing new life to key areas of the city and managing an investment portfolio of industrial, retail and office properties.

Siglion’s work is focused on five major sites, starting with the former Vaux Breweries site close to the company’s headquarters in the Echo 24 building. The area has already been cleared.

Other development sites are Seaburn, a 10 acre coastal site, Chapel Garth, a 112 acre site allocated for town housing in the City Council’s unitary development plan, Numbers Garth and Farringdon Row.

Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Shaping Sunderland for the future is now underway, and this consultation is a step forward in bringing the biggest regeneration Sunderland has ever seen to reality.

“It’s vital that people who live and work in the city get involved and have their say from the outset. The event will also give people a realistic guide of timetables, and what to expect.”

Neil McMillan, chair of Siglion and development director at Carillion, added: “The masterplan for the Vaux Brewery site crystallises the depth of change Siglion will bring about in Sunderland. Feedback from the people who know the city best is key to its success.”

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →