Council defends 'disappointing' station entrance

Sunderland Station's new southern entrance includes a ticket office, reception area and public toilets

A multimillion-pound railway station entrance which has recently opened to the public is "disappointing" and "bare", according to locals.

Sunderland Station's new front entrance, which cost £27m and took 18 months to complete, was unveiled on 8 December.

Some residents said there was a lack of seating and shops, while one city councillor said it was "uninviting".

Council leader Graeme Miller said it was "incomparable" to the "dark and dingy" former entrance it has replaced and maintained further work was planned.

The large, glass wraparound structure has been built to replace the former southern entrance, which was initially opened in the 1960s and demolished in 2022.

But Dominic McDonough, Conservative councillor for St Chad's, said locals "were promised so much" and the project "had fallen so short" of expectations.

Councillor Dominic McDonough said he had been contacted by "disappointed" residents

“We had to get it right and unfortunately, what we’ve got at the minute is just a bit of a let down," he said.

"We've got an empty warehouse as the city's station, it's a big disappointment.

"From the outside it looks great, it's an improvement on what we had but it's a little bit of a let down (inside)."

He said he had been "inundated" with comments from residents, some who said there were just 28 seats in the concourse, and said he had written to the council's leader and chief executive.

He added that "three sets of seats is ridiculous for a city with more than 250,000 people" and that the structure was "bare and cold".

Vincent and Elizabeth Wilson said they were "impressed" with the new structure

Locals told BBC Look North that the new concourse was "fantastic" and a much-needed replacement, while others felt it was "sparse".

"It's in recognition of a city that's moving forward and it fits in with everything they're trying to right now," said Vincent Wilson.

"This was very needed... now (people) will come here and think 'this looks good.'"

John Connor added the building looked empty and hoped retailers would eventually move into the space.

An artist impression which was unveiled ahead of the station revamp taking place

The new entrance was completed by the council in partnership with Network Rail, Nexus, Grand Central and station operator Northern Rail.

Graeme Miller, the council's Labour leader, argued the new entrance was "incomparable to the dark, dingy entrance way that stood here previously".

"With more work planned – this is just the beginning," he said.

"This is the first step towards a totally reinvented station, with a broader vision to reimagine the platform level.

"As well as a totally new northern entrance, which – in time - will ultimately replace the southern entrance as the primary access point for people travelling by train and Metro."

'Opportunities to evolve'

Addressing concerns over seating, Mr Miller said many passengers were expected to proceed to their platform to use Metro services - which run up to every 12 minutes - where there is "plenty of seating".

However, he said further work inside the concourse was planned and that there would be "ongoing opportunities to evolve and adapt it", including the introduction of retailers.

Northern Trains was approached for comment.