Charity's plans to refurbish high street approved

Plans by Building Design Northern show how the new units will look

Plan to regenerate part of a struggling high street have been given the green light following a charity campaign.

Sunderland City Council has approved plans to regenerate a block of retail units on Villette Road, in Hendon.

Back on the Map, which aims to empower people in Hendon, secured £168,000 in government funding to boost its High Street Revolution project.

A council decision report said the plans would “provide a refresh to the commercial units”.

Jo Cooper, CEO of Back on the Map, said: "The development is part of a wider high street regeneration scheme set out in our 23-28 strategy, which focuses on lasting social and economic change for Hendon and directly responds to what the local community have told us the area needs to thrive.

“We believe this project and the wider high street revolution work will put Villette Road back on the map.”

The charity secured funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Community Ownership Fund for the project.

The shop units on Villette Road are currently empty

Under the plans, numbers 65 to 67 would be internally divided to create two retail units while numbers 61 and 63 would be combined into a sole unit.

Numbers 57 to 59 are expected to remain open as a takeaway, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Plans submitted during the application process state that the shopfronts will be replaced with "new double-glazed units with anthracite window and door frames, pilasters, and fascias".

In its decision report, the council said: "The proposed alterations will improve the appearance of the host properties and the visual amenities of the streetscene in general".