Housing development delayed over financial deal

CJ Taverns wishes to demolish The Cavalier pub in Silksworth

A lack of "progress" over a financial deal has led to a housing development being delayed.

CJ Taverns has submitted plans to build 14 new houses and five flats at the former site of the The Cavalier pub in Silksworth, Sunderland.

Sunderland City Council approved the plans on the condition the developer invested in the area and provided £15,000 for environmental schemes.

The council warned the application would be refused if an agreement was not reached by the end of June. CJ Taverns has been approached for comment.

The financial conditions on the planning application were made using a section 106 agreement, which are used to secure funds from companies to mitigate the impacts of developments.

Sunderland City Council attempted to use the agreement to secure money for three affordable homes on the site, as well as money for allotments and a playground.

It also called for CJ Taverns to spend about £15,000 to boost biodiversity and for funds to reduce the impact on protected coastal areas.

The proposed housing development will include 14 houses and a three-storey building containing five flats

At the latest planning and highway committee meeting, the council was told by planning officers there had been no "substantive progress upon the legal agreement".

Councillors have now set a deadline of 30 June for the financial deal to be approved. If a deal is not reached, the application will be refused.

Iain Scott, from Sunderland City Council, said the deadline showed the council is "very serious about section 106 legal agreements".

The Cavalier pub has ben demolished since the initial approval for the housing scheme was granted last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Health and Safety Executive said the property was a "danger to the public" after it was damaged in a fire and called for it to be knocked down.

CJ Taverns has been contacted for comment about the section 106 agreement.