New office plans designed to boost Sunderland employment

Plans for two Sunderland offices designed to complement a strategy to boost employment in the area have been shared with the City Council.

Legal & General and developer Landid have submitted an application for the five and six storey buildings which will deliver 200,000 sq ft of Grade A space for businesses, as part of plans to transform Riverside Sunderland – a project which will double the resident population of the city centre from 2,500 to 5,000.

Riverside Sunderland, based at the former Vaux Brewery site, is expected to drive the regeneration of the whole city centre and will comprise hundreds of new homes, as well as new places to work and socialise. It promises to increase employment by 50 per cent to 18,000.

The offices, designed by dn-a architects, will go before Sunderland City Council’s planning committee later this year, and if approved, work on the first building is expected to start in early 2021. The first building is expected to be completed by summer 2022.

Legal & General has committed £100m to the development of the Riverside Sunderland area, promising to design buildings with wellbeing and sustainability in mind.

Mike Coplowe, senior development manager at Legal & General, commented: “We are thrilled to share plans for two new commercial spaces that will stand proudly alongside The Beam and City Hall on Riverside Sunderland, a new urban quarter that is developing into an attractive place to live, work and play.

“The buildings will deliver high-quality workspaces that will attract more businesses to the city, creating jobs and opportunities when they open, as well as during the construction phase.

“It’s a hugely exciting time with so much regeneration going on in Sunderland, and we’re delighted to be part of it.

“We’re here as long-term investors in the city, focused on making a difference to the city’s future.

“Our ambition is to create a space where businesses are able to prosper – to do good work, in a place designed to be good for the planet, good for the health and wellbeing of the team who work there.”

James Silver, managing director at Landid, said: “The early success of Riverside Sunderland means there is a growing optimism in Sunderland and these additional buildings will really underline that.”

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