Much-delayed extra care housing scheme approved

Work on the development should have started almost two years ago

A long-delayed "extra care" housing scheme is finally set to progress.

Sunderland City Council first approved the proposals for 84 apartments and 13 bungalows at Moorway, Washington, in October 2022, but the lack of legal agreement stalled the development.

The local authority gave developers a final deadline of 25 July after several extensions and the plans were officially approved on Thursday.

Applicants Esh Construction and Gladglider Projects confirmed construction is due to begin in 2026, with an estimated completion date of Spring 2028.

Alongside the apartments and bungalows, the scheme will also have ancillary support services and an on-site social hub.

The 2022 planning permission was subject to a legal agreement over the provision of affordable housing, as well as an outstanding requirement for detailed landscaping and road improvement plans.

Legal agreements are a standard process to secure financial contributions from developers, with cash earmarked to improve infrastructure and local facilities, as well as reducing the impact of new homes on local nature sites.

The proposed site for the development is near Washington Highway

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors were previously told the delays were linked to "quite a few landowners" needing to accept the legal agreement.

The applicants had hoped to start work on the site in summer 2023, subject to the legal agreement being completed, however "complex matters" linked to the scheme caused delays, they said.

As a result, the council could not issue planning permission and the site has sat undeveloped and overgrown for a number of years.

Laura Devaney, land and partnerships director at Esh Construction, said following the "initial resolution to grant planning permission" in 2022, "a number of complex matters needed to be addressed before full consent could be formally issued".

"We recognise that the process has been more complex and time-consuming than initially anticipated, due to the number of parties and nature of the requirements involved."