From Crown Works Studios to the redevelopment of a swathe of Sunderland’s high street, here’s a round-up of some key projects and developments to watch in 2026
Chris Binding Local Democracy Reporter, Chris Binding and Local Democracy Reporter
02:44, 04 Jan 2026
Riverside Sunderland apartment blocks and Keel Crossing (December, 2025) and Riverside Park CGI(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Regeneration work on Wearside saw major milestones in 2025, including the official opening of the Keel Crossing footbridge over the river Wear, a moment which marked key progress in the city council’s plan to improve connectivity in the heart of the city.
With fresh structures emerging across crucial city centre locations, additional schemes are being formulated for further transformative developments, ranging from breathing new life into heritage buildings through innovative purposes and establishing a fresh public green space, to reimagining a substantial portion of Sunderland’s main shopping thoroughfare.
Encompassing enhanced cultural attractions for visitors and a multi-million pound film and television studio complex, alongside new residential, healthcare and recreational amenities, here’s an overview of some of the principal schemes and developments to monitor throughout 2026.
Crown Works Studios
The Crown Works Studios project in Pallion was formerly announced as a “game-changing” initiative positioning Sunderland as a central hub for major film productions and high-budget television series, with substantial economic advantages highlighted including the generation of over 8,000 employment opportunities across the region.
Nevertheless, the proposal encountered a significant obstacle in 2025 following confirmation that the primary private backer, Cain International, had pulled out, creating doubt surrounding the scheme’s prospects. The Government has contributed an initial £25 million, courtesy of the devolution deal that brought about the North East Mayor, while Sunderland City Council and the North East Mayoral Authority have pledged to eventually invest up to £120 million.
However, this still leaves the project approximately £300 million shy of the original £450 million estimated cost for the three-phase development on the vast site along the river Wear’s banks.
Crown Works Studios Site (December 2025)(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
In October 2025, Sunderland City Council revealed that global real estate service advisor CBRE had been enlisted to lead the hunt for new private investors.
Earlier this month (December 2025), North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and the North East Combined Authority (NECA) announced a £600,000 investment to aid in establishing a Creative Development Zone in the city. This move positions Sunderland as a northern creative hub, with Crown Works pinpointed as a crucial component of this growth.
Culture House, Keel Square.
The landmark city library and multi-purpose cultural venue, costing more than £27 million, is set to house a range of facilities for adults, children and young people and spaces for exhibitions, learning, media and arts and crafts, when it opens in 2026.
Key features include The Atrium, an open plan space intended to be a “living room” for the city where people can meet and relax, along with library facilities, local hospitality business Blacks Corner opening a bar and eatery on the ground floor, a host of galleries, podcasting studios, a large event space for talks, gigs and comedy shows, a “play area and teen space”, a “sky garden” on the top floor and more.
Culture House Keel Square (December 2025)(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
The Culture House’s official website states the facility will serve as “The National Centre for Creative Smart Cities”, act as “home to the city library” and come “packed with interactive, digital features and a year round programme of fun things to do. It was originally hoped that the development would open to the public in autumn, 2025.Although significant progress has been made on the building, work is still ongoing and the council recently confirmed the venue’s opening date has been pushed back into “.
Initial projections suggested the development would welcome visitors during autumn 2025.
Despite considerable advancement on the construction, work continues and the council has recently acknowledged the venue’s launch has been delayed until “the first half of 2026”. Whilst a precise launch date remains unconfirmed, the council has revealed that spectacular aerial performers, cutting-edge projection mapping technology and additional elements will comprise a grand-scale spectacle to herald Culture House’s arrival in the city during spring 2026.
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens redevelopment.
The city’s cultural institution is set for a major transformation in coming years following the successful bid of £5.2 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, supporting an estimated £13.6 million, four-year project.
The transformation proposals, given the green light by councillors during a public planning session in July, 2025, encompass relocating the primary entrance into Mowbray Park, fresh exhibition spaces and displays, plus brand new meeting areas and social zones, alongside enhancements to the winter gardens and outdoor landscaping.
New galleries include “Window on Wearside” which will feature “vibrant displays of star objects and new favourites, tactiles, interactives and AVs to enjoy Sunderland’s story of sports, music, events and more”.
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, view from inside Mowbray Park (April, 2025) Credit LDRS(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
The library area, which will stand vacant after library services transfer to Culture House in 2026, will be transformed into “Sunderland Story”, enabling visitors to “connect with the river and land to explore the innovative and industrious history of Sunderland from its very beginning” via “mass displays of early archaeology, ship models and mining lanterns, interactive games and stories”. Additionally, there will be the establishment of a fresh community learning hub, ‘The Growing Space’, situated within the area presently housing the museum shop, which will work alongside the community garden that borders the winter gardens.
The facility is planned to showcase an impressive “central island tree sculpture” positioned above round modular seating arrangements and will serve as a “programmable, multi-audience space to learn about the environment, growing and sustainability”, incorporating areas for “fun and messy play [and] provision for live plants”.
The third floor gallery is likewise anticipated to undergo a complete gallery renovation to establish ‘The Hold’, an accessible storage exhibition where “visitors can step into the ‘stores’ and explore collections from a new perspective”, featuring the city’s “pottery and glass collections taking their spotlight here”, as outlined in council planning documentation.
Previously in November 2025, Sunderland City Council’s cabinet of senior councillors sanctioned an extra £1.4 million in capital investment beyond the funds already pledged for the transformation by the city council, Arts Council England and the Friends of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, if necessary.
Councillor Beth Jones, the council’s cabinet member for communities, culture and tourism, stated the decision would “allow us to press ahead with the exciting four-year redevelopment of the museum next year [2026].”
Sunderland’s new Eye Hospital
The new Sunderland Eye Hospital will house South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s leading cataract treatment centre, which is one of the biggest services of its kind in the country.
Currently, the existing hospital performs up to 7,000 cataract procedures annually using two operating theatres at Sunderland Eye Infirmary. With a third theatre set to be incorporated into the new city centre location, it is anticipated that this will expedite patient access to care.
Sunderland Eye Hospital site December 2025(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Upon completion, the £48 million facility will also encompass a round-the-clock emergency department, a retina unit specialising in macular conditions, a surgical day unit, as well as an imaging hub and outpatient department.
Additional features of the new eye hospital include a children’s outpatient facility and extra operating theatres.
In recent months, all scaffolding was removed from the building’s exterior, unveiling its full façade for the first time. Once operational, the eye hospital will serve as the new base for the city’s eye infirmary as services transition from the current Ashbrooke site.
Construction of the new eye hospital is slated to conclude in the first half of 2026, with an official opening date for patients set for summer 2026.
Nile + Villiers community housing development
Progress has been made on the Nile + Villiers community housing development in Sunniside this year. Upon completion, the project is expected to yield 75 homes and commercial space, contributing to the regeneration of the Sunniside area.
The site, bordered by High Street West, Villiers Street, Coronation Street and Nile Street, is already undergoing transformation as new structures begin to alter the city centre’s skyline.
City councillors gave the green light for new housing back in July 2024, with 75 homes set to be constructed. Housing developer-operator Placefirst will front the funding for 65 of these dwellings, which they will subsequently own and manage as private rented properties, while the remaining homes are anticipated to be sold to local buyers.
Nile and Villers community housing development in Sunniside (December 2025)(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Sunderland City Council is overseeing the development, with TOWN acting as the development manager. This project forms part of broader efforts to rejuvenate the Sunniside area.
This includes enhancements to the former Sunniside Leisure Complex, now rebranded as Sunniside Social. Recent plans have been approved to upgrade several buildings’ facades to attract new operators to occupy vacant units.
This follows the multi-million pound redevelopment that welcomed cinema operator Omniplex to Sunderland.
George Clarke’s ‘Home of Books’.
Earlier this month (December 2025), plans were approved for a new bookshop, café and flexible event space on Wearside. Led by Washington-born TV architect George Clarke, the project aims to breathe new life into a historic Grade II-listed building.
The scheme for the premises at 176 High Street West, situated adjacent to Sonny’s and Pop Recs, also encompasses converting the upper levels into a flat which would serve the broadcaster and his household whilst doubling as premium lodging for brief visits during his absence from the area.
George Clarke in front of the building in High Street West (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Plans for the ground floor bookstore seek to establish an environment that is “open, inviting, and shaped by […] good design, great books, and bringing people together”, featuring a “focus on titles that reflect the spirit of Sunderland, architecture, art, photography, music, food, history, and creativity.”
The flat overhead will draw inspiration from the sectors that established Sunderland, encompassing shipbuilding, coal extraction and stained-glass craftsmanship, honouring George’s native city.
There are aspirations that George Clarke’s “Home of Books” will launch in 2026, aligning with the National Year of Reading.
Sheepfolds housing development.
The territory at the Sheepfolds Industrial Estate has been designated for substantial redevelopment under municipal regeneration strategies, with demolition operations proceeding in stages to ready the location for residential construction.
Sunderland City Council has recently revealed Vistry Group as the chosen developer for a fresh residential neighbourhood on the location featuring as many as 600 new dwellings, alongside fresh retail and community facilities, forming part of council initiatives to enhance the city centre’s resident numbers. A formal planning application was lodged earlier this year (2025) requesting “full planning permission for the demolition of 38 industrial units (part-retrospective)”, alongside outline planning permission for “proposed phased development for up to 600 homes of residential accommodation”, a “mobility hub”, “up to 1,750sqm of commercial space” and associated infrastructure works and mitigation.
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Throughout the planning procedure, the proposals generated significant debate, including a prominent objection from Sunderland AFC, amid worries the schemes could threaten potential Stadium of Light expansion.
This encompassed the “proposed redevelopment of the south stand”, which former Sunderland chairman Sir Bob Murray claimed would face “serious risk” due to council development on what was previously a “buffer zone”, alongside broader anxieties that proposals might limit the stadium’s capacity to stage concerts, community events and Premier League matchdays.
Sunderland City Council’s chief executive Patrick Melia has previously maintained the Sheepfolds scheme would not affect the Stadium of Light following alerts from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Sir Bob Murray. The council’s chief executive, speaking in August, 2025, insisted the proposals would “improve operations and fan experience in terms of matchdays and other events” and confirmed that the local authority “remained committed to working with SAFC about their plans for the expansion of the Stadium of Light”, highlighting “we have held many discussions with Mr Louis-Dreyfus and his team to this effect.”
Currently, Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website shows there have been 300 public objections to the Sheepfolds housing scheme following a consultation period.
A substantial proportion of objections cite potential effects on SAFC’s Stadium of Light, whilst some objections also question whether there is “sufficient” sewerage network capacity for the proposed new dwellings and broader concerns regarding traffic and infrastructure.
Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website initially indicated a decision deadline of November 4, 2025, for the housing proposals.
During a session of the council’s Planning and Highways Committee on November 24, 2025, it was announced a “time extension” had been secured for a decision on the hybrid planning application to April 3, 2026.
Sunderland City Council, in a statement issued in December, 2025, acknowledged that “additional time” was required for the planning application. A verdict on the planning submission, which may be modified during the planning procedure, is anticipated to be reached by councillors at a pivotal Planning and Highways Committee gathering in 2026.
High Street West redevelopment.
Council proposals to transform a substantial stretch of Sunderland’s high street for prospective new offices, leisure facilities, retail outlets and flats are set to be presented to councillors for determination in 2026.
Sunderland City Council has recently lodged an application with its own planning division requesting outline planning consent for a “mixed-use development” spanning 56-90 High Street West.
The proposed site encompasses four ‘development parcels’ situated at the northern end of High Street West, incorporating the current Sports Direct outlet and neighbouring Dicksons premises, the former Marks & Spencer building which remains empty, the now demolished location of the previous Argos and Mothercare establishment, and the current ‘West Walk’ shopping unit positioned between Queen Street and the Holiday Inn.
Collage of CGI images of how redeveloped High Street West could look from public exhibition at Keel Square in May, 2025. Credit LDRS(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
These city centre properties have been designated for significant transformation for considerable time as part of the Riverside Sunderland regeneration initiative, with the council asserting that fresh proposals will establish a blend of retail, commercial, leisure, and residential areas, strengthening the local economy and improving the city centre’s lifestyle provision. The local authority, unveiling a formal planning application for the development sites in August, 2025, explained that the proposed new structures had been conceived with adaptability at their core, featuring upper levels capable of housing either commercial office accommodation for enterprises, or premium residential units to enhance the city centre’s population, alongside vibrant ground floor areas designed to draw in shoppers and visitors.
The proposals additionally encompass the demolition of the covered walkway, which presently links High Street West with St Mary’s Multi-Storey Car Park, forming part of broader public realm enhancements intended to “restore historic connections and enhance pedestrian access to the former Vaux site.”
As an outline planning submission, the council is pursuing approval for the fundamental principle of mixed-use development spanning the High Street West sites, with specific design details, scale and aesthetic elements for each plot anticipated to be finalised subsequently through the “reserved matters” application procedure.
The precise amount of floor area allocated to each intended use remains unfixed to enable the development to “respond and evolve to market demand”, as outlined in an earlier council planning document. Supporting planning documentation also made particular mention of the former Marks & Spencer premises, with computer-generated imagery depicting the M&S frontage preserved and integrated into a revamped structure as the council’s “preferred approach”, though it remains uncertain whether the facade will be maintained, with a design and access statement indicating any determination will be “subject to the outcome of a viability appraisal at the detailed design stage”.
A verdict on the broader High Street West scheme was anticipated in 2025, with a decision deadline for the proposal recorded on the council’s planning portal website as November 26, 2025.
Nevertheless, the planning submission failed to feature on any recent agendas for the decision-making Planning and Highways Committee and crucial developments are now anticipated in 2026.
Housing and leisure schemes at Riverside Sunderland.
The substantial Riverside Sunderland project on the former Vaux location, which is transforming the city’s landscape, is set to advance in 2026 with construction commencing on several residential sites.
Build-to-rent expert Placefirst has recently commenced groundwork at a fresh scheme at Galley’s View, formerly known as the Farringdon Row development, which seeks to provide 165 new homes.
The proposals, which received approval from city councillors at a January 2025 meeting, are anticipated to create a “high-quality residential neighbourhood” featuring 67 houses and 98 flats within a network of green spaces. Apartment buildings for the Placefirst development will be positioned along the clifftop boundary that looks out over Galley’s Gill, alongside a clifftop walkway with panoramic views across the new Riverside Park, taking in vistas of the River Wear and coastline.
Fresh residential construction is also advancing on the former Vaux site territory close to The Beam and Keel Crossing, with apartment complexes being built by Building Design (Northern) Limited at the Vaux site’s northern perimeter whilst eco-focused developer Igloo Regeneration has recently begun work on 34 new city centre homes at the Riverside Sunderland location.
These new residences will be enhanced by a fresh Riverside Park that will continue developing throughout 2026, converting previously vacant land on the city centre’s periphery into publicly accessible green territory.
Spanning 13.7 hectares of parkland plus 5.3 hectares of waterfront, the park will be constructed in stages and comprise five distinct zones: Southern Gateway, Kingsley Gardens, Galley’s Gill, Lambton Riverside, and Wearmouth Riverside.
The initial 14 of 88 trees planned for phase one have been recently established on Kingsley Gardens’ western boundary, with civic officials emphasising that the broader scheme would “see existing heritage sites preserved, while creating new and enhanced habitats, reintroducing native species that maximise biodiversity, and supporting active healthy lifestyles.”
Sunderland Station
Since officially launching in December 2023, the multi-million pound revamped southern concourse at Sunderland Station, situated at Market Square, has encountered numerous challenges.
These difficulties have encompassed the railway station’s public conveniences being rendered unusable following acts of vandalism, alongside damage to the station’s lift systems and personnel being “targeted” whilst attempting to maintain the facilities.
The trio of primary commercial spaces at the location, comprising one substantial unit overlooking Market Square and two compact units facing Waterloo Street, have remained untenanted by enterprises.
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Recent months have witnessed initiatives aimed at increasing visitor numbers to the railway station and enhancing its atmosphere, featuring arts and crafts marketplace events and live musical performances, plus the latest arrival of new independent venture Caribe Coffee.
Currently, Caribe Coffee stands as the sole food and beverage establishment operating within the train station concourse entrance, though the proprietors of this eco-conscious coffee brand are optimistic that additional enterprises will join them down the line.
Northern, the operator of Sunderland Station, issued a statement in December 2025 indicating there may be encouraging developments regarding the primary retail space in 2026.
A Northern representative confirmed that “the larger of the three units” is presently “under offer” and they are “looking to have a tenant beginning a fit out in the new year [2026]”. Despite Northern confirming there had been “some interest in the other two smaller units”, they acknowledged “no fixed agreements [are] in place on those currently”.
Northern went on to say they were “keen to attract local independent brands, offering flexible short and longer term deals” and were “also looking to attract more pop-up operators for the concourse”, whilst “increasing the number of security guards who patrol the station.”
Fresh Esports Arena set for Stadium of Light vicinity.
Proposals for this venture received the green light in August 2023, involving the conversion of a former motor dealership site close to the Stadium of Light into a flagship Esports facility.
Esports, alternatively termed electronic sports, encompasses structured competitive video gaming where teams and solo participants demonstrate their abilities, frequently before substantial live crowds, competing for silverware and monetary rewards.
The facility forms part of the broader National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland, encompassing The Place and “gaming houses” located in Sunniside, and has developed since original proposals were lodged.
New Esports Arena Planned Near Stadium Of Light (December 2025)(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
During a summer 2025 announcement, the national governing body for Esports revealed the venue would launch in early 2026 following financial backing from a prominent high street lender.
The architects of this new establishment stated it would feature a 200-seat auditorium, a 17m-wide LED display, broadcasting, content creation and editing suites, commercial and catering amenities, training facilities, and a substantial outdoor event area. British Esports has declared this will mark Europe’s inaugural Esports arena of its type, with ambitions to rank “amongst the globe’s finest”, as construction barriers are now erected around the former motor dealership premises.
Glassworks Sunderland in Sunniside
The erstwhile Peter Smith Antiques depot has been previously confirmed as the venue for alternative facilities replacing the National Glass Centre (NGC), after the University of Sunderland’s contentious choice to shutter the NGC by July’s end, 2026.
Cabinet documentation from the council has formerly outlined Glassworks Sunderland as “a new hub for glassmaking in the city, offering specialist facilities for artists and the public to create and produce glass art.”
Former Peter Smith Antiques building, Sunniside, Sunderland Credit SCC(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
The project’s total capital expenditure has been previously stated as £7.5 million, with council cabinet papers examined in July, 2025, describing the location as a “nationally significant centre of excellence for glassmaking” that would “drive economic growth and support cultural regeneration.”
An ‘interim provision’ is also anticipated to be established within the city to bridge the period between the NGC’s closure and Glassworks Sunderland’s scheduled launch in 2028.
Glassworks Sunderland is set to be managed by Sunderland Culture, and whilst comprehensive details of the proposed development remain pending, the initiative has already been characterised as a “downgrade” by certain parties. Campaigners fighting to Save the National Glass Centre have declared that Sunderland City Council’s choice to proceed with the development disregards public unease regarding “safety, location and cultural loss”, alongside worries that the capital costs for the project might spiral beyond initial estimates.
A recent planning submission for the antiques warehouse site, given the green light by councillors in November, 2025, sought to “address building defects that are compromising the property’s structural stability and external envelope.”
Council leaders, addressing the Planning and Highways Committee meeting, explained there was a “direction of travel linked to Glassworks” and that the authority had “secured that funding to do these works to safeguard the property [which is] grant funding rather than the council’s own resources.”
The Planning and Highways Committee was told that without immediate intervention, “the decay will become worse” and whilst it is “generally a well-built building which has been looked after to a point by the previous owner”, it required “significant investment to restore it and make it usable for future users.”
Sunderland City Council has confirmed that remedial work on the Peter Smith Antiques building would be “undertaken by March, 2026, and includes repairs to the roof, windows, masonry and concrete structure as well as mechanical and electrical upgrades.”
Following the submission of a planning application for building repair works in late-2025, a council statement revealed that the “remediated Peter Smith Antiques Warehouse building” would serve as a Creative Hub to invigorate Sunniside’s creative community.
The statement further elaborated: [This] use will complement neighbouring creative investments at venues like the Norfolk Hotel and build on new housing investment, exciting new leisure facilities and a creative community that is already established there.
“Sunderland Culture has set out ambitions to create a new hub for glassmaking in the building, offering specialist facilities for artists and the public to create and produce glass art.
“The planning application is an important milestone in preparation for the enabling works funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”
A cabinet report from July 2025, previously discussed by senior councillors, also indicated that subject to “bridging the funding gap, developing a viable operating model and satisfying the remaining Arts Council England grant conditions”, the programme of delivery for the “main phase” of Glassworks Sunderland could commence on site in autumn 2026.
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