Fire-hit waste plant to be demolished

The site remains empty 10 years after its operator went into administration

A fire-hit waste plant that has been deemed unsafe is set to be demolished.

Sunderland City Council took possession of the former Alex Smiles Ltd waste management site at Deptford Terrace in December 2019, about a year and a half after a blaze at the disused facility.

On Friday, the Labour-run local authority approved plans to flatten the "unsafe" buildings, with documents confirming redevelopment could happen "at a later date".

Operator Alex Smiles went into administration in 2015 and the site remains empty, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The fire broke out on 14 May 2018, with huge plumes of smoke seen as far as Redcar.

The smoke could be seen as far as Teesside

The fire, which was treated as arson, took three weeks to extinguish.

According to the planning application, reasons for demolition included the structures being "unsafe", "unauthorised access to the site" and "several severe fires in the past".

Temporary traffic regulation orders are expected to be in place while the structures are being pulled down.

The plans have been approved subject to several conditions, including protection of nesting birds at the site and a "construction environmental management plan" with specific measures to "prevent impacts to the nearby wildlife corridor, the River Wear and its associated priority habitats, and local wildlife sites".