Sunderland council amend new homes plan to aid stadium expansion

Sunderland have been given a clearer pathway to potential stadium growth after changes to a major riverside housing scheme introduced a larger commercial buffer zone around the Stadium of Light.The council said a planning application has been lodged for a 450-home residential-led mixed-use community at Sheepfolds, with updated designs produced after consultation with partners including Sunderland.It said the revised layout is intended to “safeguard ongoing operations at the Stadium of Light and ensure any future expansion is not restricted.”The key change is the addition of new office space closest to the stadium, creating a bigger commercial-only area between housing and the ground.Councillor Michael Mordey, Sunderland City Council leader, said: “I am delighted that we are in a position to move forward with a planning application for a new community that will deliver for Sunderland, and that we know enables the football club – which is the beating heart of this city – to realise its own future ambitions. "Riverside Sunderland is utterly transformed to the south of the river, so building on that with a high-quality community wrapped around the stadium to the north, as you see in leading stadia across the country, will be brilliant.“As a life-long Sunderland supporter, it’s great that these plans leave open the prospect of expansion of our magnificent football stadium.”North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “Sunderland is already an amazing place to live and work, and I am pleased to support further growth in the city. We are determined to bring even more world-class creative jobs to Sunderland, a place people are proud to call home.“Our new Creative Mayoral Development Zone will speed up transformation and that’s exactly what’s happening. I know people want to see progress on plans for Sunderland Riverside and we are delivering this at pace, so people can see changes happen quickly – including more creative jobs, new housing and employment sites. This is great news for the city.”The council said Sheepfolds is the largest of four residential communities being developed as part of Riverside Sunderland, which is planned to deliver around 1,000 new city-centre homes alongside commercial and community space.It said the Sheepfolds scheme will be led by Vistry Group and designed by Faulknerbrowns, with a mix of townhouses, duplexes and apartments between St Peter’s Metro Station and the Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy.The application is expected to go to the planning committee in the spring and if approved, the council said work could start by the end of 2026.