First phase begins at £12m Eastgate Point
Main contractor Hewitson Group has started construction on an 18,300 sq ft depot for Sunderland-based housing association Gentoo and its supplier Jewson at the former Littlewoods call centre plot in Hendon.
Consented in 2023, the project to deliver the 125,000 sq ft Eastgate Point is being led by architectural, structural engineering and project management firm Building Design Northern for developer Promenade Properties.
The former 8.5-acre Littlewoods call centre site was established in 1955 as a depot for the Brian Mills company – part of Littlewoods – and was later used by credit mail-order firm Burlington and Janet Frazer. It has remained closed since 2010.
However, it is now being transformed into 19 energy-efficient industrial units, n F&B offer and EV charging station.
Gentoo announced its intention to open a depot at Eastgate Point in January, confirming that it would take space for its property services team, in partnership with materials supplier, Jewson Partnership Solutions.
On top of this, the park will offer seven large speculative-build buildings, each split into 19 units with lease or purchase options. They range from 3,500 sq ft – 20,000 sq ft for B1/2 and B8 use.
Ryan Doyle, operations director at BDN, said: “Back in its day, this site was a hive of activity – it was home to Littlewoods’ call centre and the workplace of over 900 people.
“It is a prime location only minutes from the Port of Sunderland and the city centre, so to be able to bring it back to life and create a modern, bespoke and market-driven scheme that will meet demand, encourage wider business interest and new opportunities from other industries, boost the local economy and regenerate the area, was key.”
Doyle concluded: “Eastgate Point is very much an architectural design-led development that delivers an ambitious vision as part of the city’s greater regeneration masterplan, so the team is very much looking forward to its opening and the next chapter as a busy commercial location. Remedial groundworks started in June, and the first stages of construction are now underway.”
Site construction and building works for phase one are expected to be completed by summer 2026.
