More buildings to be demolished at industrial estate

The buildings in Sunderland's Sheepfolds Industrial Estate are all described as being in a poor state of repair

Plans to demolish more buildings at an industrial estate marked for regeneration have been given the go ahead.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application to bulldoze a row of units in the Sheepfolds Industrial Estate area.

The demolition is part of wider plans for the riverside site, which include a new leisure venue and hundreds of new homes.

The planning application warned the "redundant" buildings could pose a "danger to the public".

Demolition works are expected to be completed by July.

Sunderland City Council hope the area may one day look like this, with hundreds of new homes

In recent months, the city council has approved a number of applications to remove buildings at the estate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

These included factory units and a former fish and chip shop, and buildings once linked to printing giant Edward Thompson.

Sunderland City Council also recently revealed computer generated images (CGI) of how the Sheepfolds area could look as a residential community, with formal proposals for hundreds of homes due to be submitted in future.

The Grade II listed Sheepfolds Stables is part of the wider plans for the area and is being developed into a new leisure venue

The latest demolition plans were submitted in March and sought permission to bulldoze a row of five units to the north of Brooke Street, including garages and workshops.

The council planning application noted the buildings had "exceeded their useful economic lifespan" and were "now redundant", in a "poor state of repair" and "structurally deteriorating, posing a danger to the public".