Decision due on Keel Square pavilion project
COUNCILLORS are getting ready to decide on a new ‘pavilion’ structure and exhibition space at Keel Square in Sunderland.
The Planning and Highways Committee of Sunderland City Council will look at the plans for this new attraction next week.
The ‘Sunderland Pavilion’ is planned to be a place where people can see exhibitions and it will be the main part of Expo Sunderland, which is all about showing off the city’s “innovation and ambition” until 2026.
Siglion, the regeneration company of the city council, wants to put up a temporary metal structure, where the big digital screen now stands at Keel Square.
This pavilion would open in the summer for visitors to enjoy exhibitions, see what local people are creating, and even have a platform to look out from.
The structure would also include screens offering visual displays, with some appearing 3D due to the translucent material used, as well as having the potential to live stream content from around the world.
The project has funding support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 5G Innovation Regions Grant, following a successful bid from the council that centred around the city’s digital capabilities.
Sunderland City Council planning officers, in a report prepared ahead of the Planning and Highways Committee next week, have recommended the scheme for approval.
The council committee report notes the project would “showcase pioneering innovative concepts for the future home beyond 2030 in Sunderland”, as well as “celebrating advancements in the construction industry and technology”.
Council planning officers said the location of the pavilion had been informed by the “constraints and opportunities” of the site, including the “context of the conservation area and the presence of adjacent listed buildings”.
It was noted that the structure would be in place for a period of two years and was “partly being sought to obscure the construction activity associated with Culture House”.
The council committee report adds: “The proposal will help to promote the city as a tourism and leisure destination, thereby supporting the aims of the Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID) and the North East Economic Plan; whilst helping to realise the council’s ‘Our City Plan’ aim for Sunderland to be a more dynamic and vibrant city.
“In conclusion, given the temporary nature of the proposal and considering continued evolution of Keel Square as a public open space, it is considered that it is acceptable in principle”.
The final decision rests with councillors on the Planning and Highways Committee, who will next meet on April 8, 2024.