Sunderland’s Farringdon Row gets go-ahead

      The first phase of the £130m Farringdon Row masterplan in Sunderland has been given the go-ahead.   Regeneration company Sunderland arc alongside One NorthEast, English Partnerships and Sunderland council are behind the scheme which will create a major gateway into the city centre.   Phase one comprises a 124-bedroom hotel, 65,000 sq ft of offices, 124 flats and more than 3,500 sq ft of retail space which will be built on the western approach into the Tyne and Wear city.   Around 450 jobs could be created in the £30m first phase comprising two crescent-shaped buildings separated by a landscaped courtyard built on the cliff tops overlooking the Wear and Galley’s Gill.   Developers CTP aim to start work on site in late summer.   It is the first of the three-phase Farringdon Row regeneration which aims to deliver further housing and public spaces, revitalise the nearby Galleys Gill park area and link to the neighbouring Vaux site.   Bryan Sanderson, chairman of Sunderland arc, said: “To see work start on this key site will be a massive step forward and just the beginning in terms of the arc’s ambitious plans for the City. We have already seen great progress being made in the Sunniside area to the east of the City.   “This new development on Farringdon Row will inject new vibrancy and wealth into another area of the City, transforming the western approach into Sunderland and making the most of the site’s magnificent waterside views of the River Wear.”     bridget.oconnell@rbi.co.uk