Plans for 600 homes submitted
Creo/Sunderland City CouncilA city council has officially submitted plans for up to 600 new homes at a former industrial estate.
The proposals, for the land at the Sheepfolds Industrial Estate in Sunderland, include a mix of apartments and townhouses with private gardens, as well as commercial and community spaces.
Twenty-nine buildings have been demolished to make way for the development and the application is seeking to pull down nine more.
There have been plans for housing in the area for some time, with the council recently appointing Vistry Group as its preferred developer.
Planning documents said it was not possible to provide details about affordable housing at the site at this stage.
A financial viability review supporting the affordable housing document said the scheme had "significant viability challenges and will require additional grant funding in order to be delivered", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The council's affordable housing statement said: "The applicant confirms their understanding of the importance of affordable housing provision and this will be thoroughly considered once ownership details and plot-specific development proposals are confirmed and become available."
'Supress car ownership'
A design and access statement said a "key strategy" for the development was to "suppress car ownership for residents".
It said this would be achieved by "providing levels of car parking below council standards" and designing the scheme to "keep vehicles out of sight".
Planning documents confirmed a maximum of 400 parking spaces would be provided, 20% of which would be for electric vehicle (EV) parking.
A decision on the plans is expected by 4 November after a consultation period.