After the arrival of vital bridge sections to link the city, the full potential of the Riverside project in Sunderland is getting closer.

The final sections of the New Wear Footbridge with lengths of 63 and 105 metres mark another major milestone as the development is nearing completion.

Riverside Sunderland is a new urban quarter being created by Sunderland City Council on a riverside site in the heart of the city.

READ MORE: Sunderland takes delivery of New Wear Footbridge sections

The masterplan sets out a strategy to create 1,000 homes for a community of 2,500 people, and 1 million square feet of offices and workspace for 8,000 – 10,000 quality jobs, with parks and public spaces.

Among the headline goals are:

  • A 33.2 hectare site on both sides of the River Wear.
  • 19.5 hectares of available land.
  • The first carbon-neutral urban quarter in the UK.
  • A thousand new homes to buy and rent in four riverside neighbourhoods.
  • A school, nurseries and other community facilities.
  • More than one million square feet of modern offices in a new central business district, providing 8,000-10,000 jobs.
  • A development site for a life sciences/ healthcare facility.
  • Two outstanding civic buildings: City Hall and the Culture House.
  • A landscaped park.
  • Two new bridges across the River Wear.
  • A walking and cycling network.
  • Smart city technology

Councillor Graeme Miller said: “This is an exciting time for Sunderland, with investment flowing back into the city centre for the first time in decades. A change is underway, and our plans for the next 20 years will establish Riverside Sunderland as a successful business location, a popular place to live, and the focal point for the life of the community.

“Everyone in Sunderland will benefit from new jobs, new homes, new civic buildings, and cultural attractions in a transformed urban environment.

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“Riverside Sunderland will be a place we can all be proud of; it will set the standard for sustainable urban regeneration in Britain in the mid-21st century, contributing to our drive to become a carbon-neutral city and to promote health and wellbeing.

“The City Council will put all its energy and resources behind the strategy, working with the private sector and other agencies to achieve our goals. We will engage with the people of Sunderland, to raise awareness of our plans and create a sense of excitement and pride. We will also be there to listen and understand, working with communities to ensure that Riverside Sunderland reflects the needs and aspirations of all our citizens.”

Among the recent key events, Sunderland City Council exchanged contracts with Placefirst to develop a 165-home neighbourhood.

Alun Davies, head of planning at Placefirst, said: “As one of the UK’s most ambitious city centre regeneration projects, we know that simply building more houses is not enough to support the City’s long-term aspirations. That’s why, at Placefirst, our focus is increasing the number of high-quality housing options to ensure long-term value for local communities.

“As we prepare for this next stage in the delivery of Farringdon Row, we look forward to setting a new standard for Build to Rent (BTR) schemes in Sunderland and playing a pivotal role in the transformation in Riverside Sunderland.”

Also, world-leading e-commerce business Ocado was unveiled as the first occupier to take space on the former Vaux Brewery site.

The world’s largest online grocery retailer has signed a 15-year deal to let the top two floors of The Beam, a flagship 59,427sq ft building at the heart of Sunderland’s city centre. The move will see brand new jobs created in the city – with a range of customer service roles set to be recruited by the end of the year.

Senior representatives from the business visited potential sites across the UK before choosing Sunderland.