Placefirst gets greenlight for Farringdon Row

The BTR developer and operator has now received approval for its 165-home Riverside Sunderland development, which will comprise 67 houses and 98 apartments on the 4.5-acre clifftop site.

Work will commence by June and each of the long-term rental properties will be designed to achieve an EPC ‘A’ rating.

The homes will range in size from one- to three-bedrooms and 1-2 bedrooms and will have a mix of private and communal gardens.

Farringdon Row is the second residential neighbourhood within the Riverside Sunderland regeneration project, which aims to build 1,000 new homes and 1m sq ft of office space near the centre of the city.

The plans were completed in collaboration with local architects ID Partnerships and development consultants IC Planning, sustainable engineering consultants Cundall, landscape architects LUC and mechanical and electrical engineering consultants TACE.

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Placefirst has worked collaboratively with Sunderland City Council, the North East Combined Authority and Homes England to secure funding for the project.

Alun Davies, head of planning at Placefirst, said: “Amidst an ongoing housing crisis, the urgency to deliver better rental options in cities has never been greater…

“There doesn’t need to be a compromise between high-quality sustainable housing, green spaces, and accessible city centre living – and Farringdon Row’s sustainability credentials, abundant greenery and central location show our commitment to delivering all three.”

Cllr Kevin Johnston, cabinet member for business, housing and regeneration at Sunderland City Council, said: “Riverside Sunderland is a critical driver for the regeneration of the whole of the city centre, as we know that by increasing our residential population and driving more businesses to locate here, we can deliver the critical mass of people needed to support our retail core and leisure venues, in turn uplifting the whole area.

“It’s a massive step forward in a part of the city that is – quite simply – unrecognisable from the place it once was.”