B&M lined up in Sunderland
Should planning approval be secured, Almscliffe Deshi Developments will build a scheme on the former Farringdon Road police station site, to be anchored by the discounter.
Full planning permission is sought for the demolition of existing buildings on site and the construction of a retail development comprising a 25,000 sq ft retail store with external 6,450 sq ft garden centre.
The application also includes a further two retail units, a vets’ practice and tanning shop, along with a drive-thru coffee outlet, for which Costa is lined up as operator.
SMR Architects and DPP Planning head a professional team which also includes NJD Environmental Associates, BECG, Meraki Alliance, Andrew Burden, AMA, Eco North and landscape architect Arlene McIntosh.
The police station building is four storeys in scale and occupies a prominent location adjacent to the busy roundabout junction between North Moor Lane and the A690 Durham Road, which represents one of the key routes in and out of central Sunderland.
The police station, vacant since 2017, is accessed from Primate Road, which leads from Durham Road and through an area of housing to serve the site.
The four-acre application site is irregular in shape and covers the former station footprint, along with parking areas, a dense belt of trees, an area of grassed open space and a section of redundant road and hardstanding.
To the east is a former staff car park, not included within the application, and an extensive area of grassed open space currently subject to an application for 65 affordable homes.
Approval is recommended for the retail scheme, which will be considered by Sunderland City Council’s planning & highways committee on 19 June. The item’s reference number is 22/00781/FU4.
