Robertson completes on Houghton Retail Park
The former colliery site in Sunderland is now a £20m retail park, with a 45,000 sq ft Tesco as the anchor tenant.
Contractor Robertson Construction North East started work on the project in 2023 for regeneration developer Hellens Group.
Situated in Houghton-le-Spring, a 20,000 sq ft unit has also been let to B&M and will open early next year.
Works consisted of civil engineering before construction of two steel shells, a petrol filling station, and a 300-bay car park.
In a nod to the site’s colliery past, a specially-commissioned 16ft statue was officially unveiled earlier this month, incorporating a steel helmet, pit token, and head torch by local artists Ray and Sam Lonsdale.
Neil Kennedy, regional managing director, Robertson Construction North East, said: “Regeneration like this has the ability to transform a community and it’s fantastic to have worked with Hellens Group to be able to create this retail park for Houghton-le-Spring, especially as the site had lain empty for so long.
“This project has already brought local benefits during its construction phase and will continue to drive long-term economic and social growth for the area.”
Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive, Hellens Group, said: “As a Sunderland-based company, we are committed to bringing forward local regeneration projects that benefit the area.
“The invaluable support from Robertson Construction and Sunderland City Council has been key to making this vision a reality.”
