Sunderland firm has designs on new Ryhope community

A Sunderland architects firm has drawn up plans approved last night for a cluster of wellbeing homes that will replace a distinctive building in Ryhope. Simpson Street based architects and engineering practice, Building Design Northern (BDN), was commissioned by Sunderland City Council to draw up designs for a community of ‘specialist homes’ to support improved health, wellbeing, and care.

They will stand on the current site of the disused St Cuthbert’s Methodist Church in Ryhope, and are part of the city council’s five-year £59m Housing Delivery and Investment Plan (HDIP), which is delivering more good-quality homes for older and vulnerable people in Sunderland.

The plans were approved by Sunderland’s planning committee last night [17 April] and demolition of the distinctive green-roofed church which is no longer occupied and has fallen into disrepair will clear the way for six new high-quality one-storey properties, as well as two staff hubs, for use by Adult Social Care workers on-hand to provide support to residents.

The team at BDN has worked closely with staff from the local authority to shape plans to ensure they’re absolutely fit for purpose and able to support residents with a range of conditions that impact on their mobility and health.

Gerry Taylor, executive director of health housing and communities at Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re delighted to have commissioned a Sunderland firm to develop plans for new homes in Sunderland, that will improve the lives of those who live there.

“The HDIP is about supporting our more vulnerable residents, creating homes that are attuned to their needs, with design and assistive technology adaptations that support the wellbeing of people who live there. This scheme will achieve just that, breathing new life into a small area that is at the heart of an established community in Sunderland.”

BDN’s work on the project has been bolstered by a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Northumbria University, which has provided a unique opportunity for contemporary research to be embedded into the scheme’s architectural design.

All six homes have been carefully designed to complement the existing streetscape, while delivering a contemporary response that will establish a connected community of well-designed, sustainable homes.

Dr Faye Sedgewick, architectural designer and KTP associate at BDN, said: “St Cuthbert’s has been designed to enable residents to carry out everyday activities within the home.

“The sympathetic design responds to both people and place, and seeks to support greater independence, enablement and life fulfilment for residents. The cluster of homes embed BDN’s supportive design principles and ethos to ensure that the accessible homes are readily adaptable, enabling and connected to the surrounding community.”

Richard Marsden, managing director of BDN, added: “As a Sunderland firm, it is fantastic to be able to support the council in its goal of creating communities that raise the bar, delivering housing that enables residents to live independently and in comfortable, well-designed homes.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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