True North adds to Sunniside regen
The contractor is restoring the former Tyre Shop at 177 High Street West in Sunderland, converting the 5,500 sq ft into a community hub with retail units and flexible events space.
Completion of the centre, which is owned by Sunderland City Council and will be managed by the Sunderland Quakers, is scheduled for August.
The building sits close to the Nile + Villiers 75 homes development, part of Sunderland City Council’s Sunniside Place Strategy, which is a 10-year regeneration project spanning the Nile and Villiers Streets comprising a mix of city centre terraced homes, maisonettes, and creative workspaces.
It’s also near to George Clarke’s renovated book shop.
Led by the Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust, the regeneration of the building has been supported by £923,208 of funding from Historic England and further investment from the Quakers.
The scheme is an extension of the Heritage Action Zone project, led and funded by Sunderland City Council and Historic England to restore some of the city’s buildings.
The investment will conserve and revitalise the early 19th-century building, restoring key architectural features including traditional shopfronts and timber sash windows.
The Quakers have signed a long leasehold interest on the building, and as well as providing meeting space for its group and others, there will also be sub-let workspace and retail units for social enterprises and independent businesses who are seeking to capitalise on the ongoing regeneration of the area.
Peter McIntyre, executive director of economy and place at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see work finally get underway on the redevelopment of the grade two-listed former Tyre Shop.
“Over recent years we’ve seen new life breathed into historic buildings such as the former Binns department store, the Elephant Tea Rooms, and Mackie’s Corner and this will further build on that, by restoring another city centre building to its former grandeur.”
Matt Moore, at Sunderland Quakers said, “Refurbishing this building and becoming part of the wonderful community of Sunniside has been a real joy.
“We formerly had a Meeting House on Nile Street and moving to High Street West is a homecoming for us.
“When we sold our last meeting House in Roker, we wanted to move to the centre of Sunderland and play a positive part in its regeneration. We feel we are achieving that and can’t wait to develop this further when the building work is finished.
“The excitement around the regeneration of Sunniside is palatable. People from across the region are starting to see what’s happening and it’s leading to more investment in this area than ever before.
“From George Clarke’s new bookshop to Sunniside Social, there’s a real buzz returning to this part of the city and it’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. Long may it continue.”
