Sunderland owns the Vaux site

Sunderland City Council can confirm that the city now owns the landmark Vaux site.

Agreement had already been reached that the City Council, regional development agency One North East and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) would buy the site from owners Tesco.
Cllr Paul Watson at Vaux site

The final exchange of contracts was agreed on Thursday 24 February.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Paul Watson said: "I'm delighted to announce this excellent news not only for the people of Sunderland but also our neighbours who look to Sunderland city centre for their work, education, shopping and leisure needs.

"Now that the city owns the Vaux site we can look forward to its redevelopment as a business-hub. While construction will not happen overnight and could be some time away, this is a significant step forward. The first thing for us is to get on-site and begin its remediation."

This work will initially include clearing the site of debris and old building foundations, making it look more presentable and looking at its potential for possible temporary uses before major development work starts.

Long-term plans are to develop the former brewery site into a new business district to create more city-centre jobs, offices and pedestrian traffic with a greater diversity of city-centre use. This will help improve perceptions of Sunderland city centre for shoppers, businesses, and residents.

Tesco has owned the site since 2001 and was granted planning permission last year for a superstore development in nearby Roker.

Cllr Watson said: "We can now look to major development at both the Vaux site and the Roker Retail Park. Vaux is a regionally significant site and this is the largest redevelopment opportunity that the city centre has ever seen.

"I give great credit to colleagues in the City Council and our partners who have worked tirelessly over many months behind the scenes to help bring this day about."

An agreement in principle was reached with Tesco last year that the site could be sold to the public sector.

Money for the purchase came from the City Council's development partners the Homes and Communities Agency and One North East.

Doug Wilson, Corporate Affairs Manager for Tesco, said: "We have continued to work closely with Sunderland City Council and other public sector bodies to resolve the future of the site. Tesco remains committed to making further major investment into the city and this announcement means we can now move forward with our exciting plans for a new store at the Sunderland Retail Park."

Overlooking the River Wear at the northern edge of the city centre, the 26-acre site is widely regarded as one of the North East's most significant regeneration sites.

Pat Ritchie, Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, said: "The public and private sectors have found a positive solution to bring maximum benefit to the city as a whole. This provides the opportunity to create a new central business district and move towards a truly 21st century city centre for Sunderland.

"The HCA is all about helping local authorities to unlock complex problems and find solutions, and our investment in the Vaux site is a great example of our local approach in action."

Developing the Vaux could create more than half-a-million square feet of office space, extend city centre living and attract more jobs and investment into Sunderland.

Neil Graham, One North East Head of Capital Programmes, said: "This is excellent news for Sunderland and could now clear the way for the development of this important city centre site. The former Vaux brewery land is pivotal to the future prosperity of the city centre and I am delighted that Sunderland City Council now has the freehold."