It's no secret that the entirety of the North East has undergone major redevelopments over the past few years, with some of the region's biggest cities seeing an abundance of new establishments, housing and jobs created.
One of which is Sunderland, which has seen its fair share of changes as of late - with city-wide developments continuously taking place to better the area for local residents and visiting parties.
And with so many changes taking place, it's sometimes easy to forget how much has changed for the better on Wearside. It's wise to take a moment to reflect every now and then - comparing where the city is now and where it has came from.
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A number of city centre developments have taken place as of recent, including a new City Hall being built, housing developments announced for the centre itself, and statues being planted nodding to history on Wearside.
And although sometimes it seems as if Sunderland can't offer any more than it already does, Sunderland City councillors have explained that changes will continue to come to Wearside, to improve the location in a positive manner.
Leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Graeme Miller, said: “Sunderland is an ambitious city, and one that is transforming rapidly, with an unprecedented programme of investment that is delivering on our promises to residents.
“The city centre is redefining itself. The huge capital programme we have attracted to Riverside Sunderland will bring many thousands of people into the heart of the city.
"Brand new commercial spaces are taking shape, delivering 1m sq ft of offices that will attract up to 10,000 workers to the area.
"More than 1,000 new homes will also be built in the heart of the city, that will ensure that more than 2,500 more people live within a short walk of the retail heart of Sunderland, in turn driving footfall and spend with our businesses.
"We have new cultural venues, like the Auditorium and the planned Culture House, which will bring new and diverse audiences to Sunderland, complementing our existing leisure offer.
"And there is more to come, with some new developments set to be unveiled soon."
Cllr Miller also spoke of how regeneration across Wearside in key areas alike the seafront as well as residential areas are continually taking place for the benefit of the local community, as well as its visiting parties.
He added: “We’re not stopping at the city centre.
"Regeneration is transforming our seaside, and we’re seeing major developments at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) and Hillthorn Park in Washington, that will bring with them many thousands of jobs, and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment.
"Add to that a new retail destination in Houghton, and a city strategy that will see us build more than 7,000 new homes by 2030, and there can be no question of the vision and ambition we have for the entire city of Sunderland – and that is bearing fruit.”
How has Sunderland changed over recent years and what's coming to Wearside in the future?
City centre developments:
Sunderland has seen its fair share of city centre developments in recent years, both in a physical and experience-based sense.
The ongoing Riverside Project has seen massive amounts of investment within the heart of Wearside itself, bringing forth a brand new and sustainable new urban quarter for residents and visitors to enjoy.
A brand new £42m City Hall was built for Council staff to operate from on the former Vaux Brewery site, with proposals also coming forward to create a £36m state of art the eye hospital within a stones throw.
A new and exciting 21st century auditorium costing £11m also was built as an extension for the original 1907 Fire Station, a short walk away from the historic Keel Square where sculptor Ray Lonsdale's latest work has been presented in 'Gan Canny' - nodding back to the Sunderland staple Vaux Brewery.
And a brand new Culture House is also set to occupy space in the Square itself, with hopes of attracting more diversity and culture to the city.
Brand new commercial work spaces are also taking shape, with aims of attracting up to 10,000 workers to the area - providing sustainable jobs for those wishing to work on Wearside.
And many more developments are expected to be announced in the near future.
Traffic and transport:
A new strategic transportation corridor opened up towards the back end of 2021, linking the popular
Northern Spire bridgeto the city centre itself - saving commuters valuable time off their journeys in the long run, while improving transport links with the Nissan plant.
It also runs past the old William Doxford and Sons site - otherwise known as Pallion Shipyard, where a reconstructed gatehouse holding a blue plaque has been built, nodding to the vast shipbuilding history on the River Wear.
And Sunderland Central Station is also due a revamp, with the 'communist style' station on Market Square being replaced with a more modernised and aesthetically pleasing transport hub.
The existing south entrance closed to the public in December 2021, with all public access to the rail station diverted through the north entrance.
Demolition of the south entrance building was also expected to start in December, with the replacement station set to be completed and open to the public in March 2023.
Housing:
Back in October 2021 a deal between Vistry Partnerships North East and Sunderland City Council was agreed, selling the old and gloomy Civic Centre, to make way for new and affordable city centre housing.
Plans have been agreed between Vistry and Sunderland City Council to breathe life into the area by constructing around 280 affordable homes in the city centre - ranging from one to four bedrooms in size.
The new homes to be constructed are part of a wide scale plot to build 7,000 new homes across Wearside by 2030 - with various other developments currently taking place across residential areas of Wearside.
Seafront:
As part of a 'Seaburn Masterplan' the council aims to 'promote the development of a family-friendly resort at Seaburn to provide high quality indoor and outdoor facilities for both residents and visitors available all year round'.
This is something they've been doing quite well over recent years, bringing a variety of family-friendly establishments to the area for all to enjoy.
Seaburn Stack officially opened its doors to the general public in September 2020, and since its highly-anticipated launch it has became a go-to entertainment hub on the seafront.
The Seaburn Inn also opened last summer, offering visitors and guests a room with a view - as well as a stunning eatery and bar to sip from on sunny days.
Elsewhere, plans have been agreed to redevelop a historic tram shelter into a quirky and quaint deli, with the help of local business Black's Corner.
And a variety of other newcomers are also set to entertain the area, with Italian-fusion bar and eatery Prego hopefully opening next month, and local businessmen Ben Wall and Neil Bassett preparing to transform the bay shelter into a new, high-quality seafood restaurant.
Business:
Nissan last year unveiled EV36Zero - which is a £1bn Electric Vehicle Hub to accelerate the journey to carbon neutrality, in line with the council's plans to hit net zero by 2030.
The announcement of the new electric vehicle hub was the biggest job-creating project since Nissan arrived in the 1980s, creating and securing thousands of jobs across the North East and beyond.
Sunderland City Council also announced a International Advanced Manufacturing Park in collaboration with South Tyneside Council, which could see the delivery of a single manufacturing facility of up to one million square feet.
One of the largest live schemes in the country, the IAMP spans 370-acres and it is hoped it will create more than 7,000 new jobs over the next 10 to 15 years.
Environment:
As well as the council's plan to become carbon neutral by 2030, a number of other environmentally friendly projects are also set to take place in the future.
An opening date was this week given for Sunderland's new £5m Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), with the new centre occupying the former Rolls Royce site being opened on February 1.
This will replace the outdated and pre-existing site in Deptford, with hopes of bringing a more sustainable and efficient way of recycling household goods to the city.
As well as this, a new £100m tyre recycling plant at the Port of Sunderland has also been announced - bringing with it over 100 green jobs.
Norwegian firm, Wastefront, are the driving force behind the new environmentally friendly site - where tyres will be broken down into their three main components of rubber, carbon, and wire, before being recycled accordingly.
Incentives:
Neuron currently have a partnership with Sunderland City Council which allows a trial period for E-Scooters across Wearside.
Although the trial was supposed to expire in November 2021, it has since been extended so Neuron can continue to gather information on how they work, their sustainability, and their popularity - also giving Sunderland residents and visitors more time to try make the most of them.
The council also announced a free parking scheme in the city centre this month, allowing visitors to park in Sunderland car parks for free after 3pm, Monday to Friday.
This comes in a bid to promote activity within the city centre, while allowing visiting parties to enjoy themselves without the stresses of a set time limit.
For more regarding what's going on in and around Sunderland, visit the council's official website, here.
