Sunderland Culture House's light installation plans dropped

Amended plans for Sunderland's Culture House mean there will no longer be a light installation at the front

Revised plans for what Sunderland City Council hopes will be a "world-class" visitor attraction have been approved.

Diggers moved on to the site of the Culture House on High Street West, near Keel Square, late last year.

The building is set to house the city's library and archive collections as well as exhibition spaces, a cafe and roof garden.

The authority has now backed amended proposals removing previously approved LED and digital screens.

Chiefs hope the development will draw more than 500,000 people to the city centre annually when it opens next year.

It has also been mooted a potential home for part of the National Glass Centre, which is set to close.

'Fine-tuning'

Planning permission had been granted last year for a large light installation on the front of the building which had the potential to be programmed to advertise exhibitions and events.

The council had also approved a separate bid for advertising consent for the signage, described in planning documents as an "8-bit wall."

However, the latest plans, submitted in December, proposed another raft of changes including the removal of those elements.

The new building will have a cafe and roof garden

Further amendments included a new glass viewing area to the first floor above the entrance, as well as new window openings and changing two Juliette balconies on the north and west facade to "fixed glazed windows".

City leaders said the changes were part of a process of "fine-tuning" the Culture House building and would create "opportunities which benefit the internal layout".

A report to councillors recommending the plans for approval said the revised scheme would "still introduce a high-quality and visually striking contemporary building at a prominent city centre site".