TV architect says ‘dial is shifting’ for Sunderland
DAVID HUNTLEY on “Sunderland lad” George Clarke’s high hopes for his city
GEORGE Clarke has hailed the “fantastic” developments which are under way in Sunderland and has expressed his excitement for the city’s future.
The North East architect who describes himself as a “Sunderland lad, through and through”, was recently interviewed for the Wise Men Say podcast, where he spoke about his love for SAFC and the ongoing regeneration of the city. The 49-year-old, who was born in the city and brought up in Washington, said that things are finally changing for the better.
In an interview recorded at The Fire Station venue in the city centre earlier this month, George highlighted the Riverside development, the Sheepfolds, and the newly relaunched Vaux brand as things to be excited about. He also spoke about how the city is coming out of the shadows of its former industrial heyday.
“With the shipbuilding going and the coal mines going and everything else, it was devastating for Sunderland, as we know”, he said. “It’s been tough. We must remember, we’ve gone through austerity for years and years after the massive financial crash... then off the back of that you’ve got Covid and everything else.
“Building stuff is tough, not as easy as you’d think, getting land deals sorted out, getting the money in place, making it financially stackable, it’s really hard.
“There was never enough investment in the city, when all that stuff was pulled and went. It’s a story that is universal across so many northern towns and cities, it’s not just us. But, it’s turned, and it’s turning quite quickly. There’s a little bit of momentum.”
George said he was “chuffed to bits” about the relaunched Vaux brand and its taproom, which is a stone’s throw from the Stadium of Light. He also praised The Fire Station venue, saying it was “genuinely brilliant”, before speaking highly of culture hub, Pop Recs.
He continued: “The lads at Pop Recs asked me to go along and have a look at the building before they’d even got the building or had any money together... those small-scale things of good, passionate people who want to do cultural, creative, artistic things... that’s what I think the
city should be doing even more of. I think those small-scale, independent companies, are going to make a massive difference to Sunderland city centre.”
The popular TV presenter, who this year launched a new Channel 4 series, George Clarke’s Adventures in Americana, said the city’s upcoming Culture House will be a “game-changer”, and added that there are also some “cracking old buildings” in the Sunniside area that are “ripe for redevelopment”.
He said: “There’s been a lot of doubt in the city, a lot of cynicism, and rightly so, because a lot of things were promised and never ever happened.
“All of a sudden, The Beacon has been built, and smallerscale venues like Pop Recs, the new City Hall, the Riverside development.
“I was taking pictures and was like, ‘there’s loads of cranes in the city’, and if there’s loads of cranes, that’s a really good sign, because it means you’re building.
“If you’re building, you’re building stuff for people and if those people are passionate, things will change. And it’s shifting.
“It’s the first time I can ever say, it’s genuinely shifted the dial for the city, and that’s brilliant.”
George also mentioned the Sheepfolds development, which he has a connection to. The Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA) will be a training base that will educate and upskill people with the technical skills to build, retrofit and create innovative factory-built new homes after a partnership agreement was signed between Sunderland College and Sunderland City Council.