NEW CITY HALL TAKING SHAPE ON RIVERSIDE LANDSCAPE
As life is finally breathed into the old Vaux site, the latest structure in the Riverside development is taking shape.
The new City Hall is already a prominent structure in the city’s skyline as it takes its place in Riverside Sunderland, the council-led £100million masterplan which will transform a 33.2-hectare site across both sides of the River Wear in the coming years with a mix of homes, leisure and offices.
Next to The Beam, the council's new 19,000 sq ft City Hall headquarters, which will also be home to Gentoo and the Department for Work and Pensions, is under construction and is expected to be complete by autumn 2021.
Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland
City Council, said: “City Hall has already transformed the skyline of Riverside Sunderland, but its real impact will only be felt when it opens its doors later this year.
“Not only will it allow us to deliver the best support possible to our residents, in a building that is fit for
purpose and that brings together a range of support services under one roof, but it will see some 2,000 employees based in the heart of this new urban quarter, bringing with them spending power that will fuel the economic growth of our city centre.”
It’s part of a surge of developments in the city centre, which also includes the ongoing construction of the £11m Auditorium adjacent to The Fire Station arts and culture hub and the construction of a 120-room Holiday Inn on Keel Square, as well as restoration of the historic Mackie’s Corner as part of the wider Historic High Streets Heritage Action Zone.
Looking to the future, other major structures on the Riverside development plan include a state-ofthe-art library and community hub – the Culture House - that will attract 600,000 visitors a year to a new site in Keel Square and a ‘smart bridge’ that will connect both sides of the river featuring light installations and VR to deliver engaging experiences for pedestrians and cyclists that cross it.
As well as the upgrading of St Mary’s Boulevard into a stylish new main street.