Government agrees £87m deal to sort Vaux site, build new bridge and create 9,000 jobs in Sunderland Published: 14 March 2014 AN £87million deal to help create 9,000 jobs and get key projects off the ground in Sunderland has been agreed by Government. Sunderland City Council has agreed the âCity Dealâ with Ministers and civil servants which will include the creation of a new gigantic International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) to the west of the A19. It will also see work start on the building of the long-awaited new Wear bridge. Sunderland City Council leader Paul Watson said: âThe people of Sunderland are now going to get something that they have wanted for 100 years and have been campaigning about for 50 years, thanks to the work of officers and this council. âThis is a major achievement that has been delivered against the odds as Central Government has been cutting its spending. âWeâre going to be delivering this bridge, and have got the money for this bridge, and at a time of recession.â Under the City Deal status, Sunderland gets: â¢Â£5 million for the development of an International Advanced Manufacturing Park next to Nissan â equivalent to the size of 140 football pitches. â¢Â£82.5million of funding that finally gives the green light to the long-awaited new road bridge over the Wear. â¢The creation of 8,900 jobs by 2031. â¢A new Central Business District on the Vaux site, aimed at injecting new life to Sunderland city centre. â¢A Skills Compact to help the unemployed or unskilled. It is hoped the deal will also attract £295million of private sector investment in the cityâs manufacturing industry. The bid to Government for a deal was made by Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council. Both councils worked with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP). Government confirmed the Sunderland City Deal in Partnership with South Tyneside today. The 100 hectare IAMP development â the equivalent of 140 football pitches of new industry and business park â would house automotive, off-shore and other hi-tech businesses. It would build on the North East regionâs track record for manufacturing and exports. Councillor Watson said: âThis ambitious and successful bid recognises the potential for growth in the regionâs manufacturing sector. âThe success of this bid underlines the importance of solid infrastructure investments for achieving economic growth, and how important Sunderland and South Tyneside are to the region, the UK, and how much more they can offer. âWeâve worked very closely with businesses and the Government on drawing up the deal and all its detail. He added: âOur deal is reflecting broader North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP) priorities, the Governmentâs priorities and recognises the close relationship between Sunderland and South Tyneside. This relationship between Sunderland and South Tyneside is a special one because of the economic importance of the A19. âThis is a City Deal building on the regionâs successful track record of partnership working.â The Government invited Sunderland and South Tyneside to submit a City Deal proposal in February
It's great news - as clockstander says - IF it happens!! Been talked about for too long and left lying over and over. Great if it gets done. If the Government is anything like the FA, this £87.5m will turn into £600m and over-run by about 6 years!!
Its a joke that the vaux site has sat for so long. It should be a prime piece of city real estate. The council have had too long to sort it out and hopefully this plan comes to something.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/...-in-sunderland-1-6498118#.UyLn0QKtpTw.twitter A MULTIMILLION deal that will help create almost 9,000 jobs and cement Sunderland as the UK capital of car manufacturing, was today agreed. Deputy Prime Minster Nick Clegg was at Nissan to announce the £87.5million City Deal, that will include the creation of a new manufacturing park and the building of the long-awaited Wear bridge. Mr Clegg pledged the deal would âbuild the foundations for long-term growth in Sunderland for this generation and the next, building a stronger economy.â Under the City Deal status, Sunderland gets: â¢Â£5million for the development of an International Advanced Manufacturing Park next to Nissan â equivalent to the size of 140 football pitches. â¢Â£82.5million of funding that finally gives the green light to the long-awaited new road bridge over the Wear. â¢The creation of 8,900 jobs by 2031. â¢A new Central Business District on the Vaux site, aimed at injecting new life to Sunderland city centre. â¢Once established, the deal is likely to bring £295million in private sector investment in the cityâs manufacturing industry. â¢The creation of a Skills Compact that will invest in Wearsiders and help the unemployed or unskilled. In an exclusive interview with the Echo, Mr Clegg said the deal would give Sunderland the âopportunity to shape its own futureâ. He added: âWe need to fast forward from now and imagine how things feel when we have the benefits of this manufacturing park, the new bridge and international investment. âThere will be a lot of opportunities provided for Sunderlandâs young people, they wonât need to go elsewhere to find work, it will be on their doorstep. âThis City Deal builds on the success of Sunderlandâs car industry and is a tribute to the workers in the region who are exporting models right across Europe. âIt will build on that success to boost the local supply chain, attract further investment and revitalise local businesses and craftsmen, harnessing local skills for many years to come.â Mr Clegg said investment in the manufacturing park was something that some of Wearsideâs biggest employers, including Nissan, Rolls-Royce, TRW Automotive and Liebherr have all been âcrying out forâ. Mr Clegg dismissed fears the city centre was paying the price for the success of the outlying Nissan plant. He added: âIt does not have to be one or the other. âPart of the City Deal is to pay for the Wear bridge and to ensure new life is breathed into the old brewery site in the city centre. âSuccess breeds success, and the success of the manufacturing sector can be echoed by the rejuvenation of the city centre.â It is hoped that todayâs announcement is the vital first step in creating a development of ânational significanceâ that will bring in an estimated £295million in private sector investment. Speaking about the £80million for the new Wear crossing, due to be completed by November 2017, Mr Clegg said: âI know from speaking to people in Sunderland that roads and traffic congestion are issues and the links between the city centre and the A19 and A1 are not good enough at the minute. âThe decision to build a new road bridge is a sensible one and while we should strive for success we need to make sure we plan for things which are deliverable.â The advanced manufacturing park is expected to be completed by 2027, creating 5,200 new manufacturing jobs, with more than 500 new jobs being created every year from 2018. A further 3,700 jobs will be created by 2031. My only concern is...how will the council balls this one up
BUT - until recently the land was owned by Tesco's and they wouldn't budge until the council gave them the greeen light to build a new hyper market on Newcastle Road. Agree with all, IF this comes to fruition it will be a shot in the arm but I fear our jealous cousins from up the road will shout foul and they will receive yet another slug of investment at our expense. There are still vast tracts of Newcastle that are **** pits despite the gentrification of the Quayside etc.
Already been done mate & as far as Clegg the Pegg go's I'd rather eat my own knob smegma than vote for that U turning, yellow, lying, spineless prick.
A mate just sent me this...says it all http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/...rapped-projects-and-disappointments-1-5862291 A DECISION to scrap the building of an iconic bridge across the Wear is the latest in a series of doomed high-profile projects. CRAIG THOMPSON looks back at other schemes which never got off the ground. 2001 Proposal: The Roker Horn A giant red, white and black horn, touted as the biggest artwork in the North East after the Angel of the North, was planned for the city. Promised to be 40ft long and five metres high, the horn was going to stand on legs at Monkwearmouth Metro Station. The length of four double-decker buses, money for the project was to be provided by Sunderland AFC and Nexus, as well as National Lottery grants. The horn was scheduled to relay commentaries and highlights from home matches at the Stadium of Light. The cone would also blast out the roar of the crowd each time a Metro pulled into the station carrying football supporters. It was estimated the horn, which was to be decked out in SAFC colours, would cost £220,000. At the time, Sunderland Council said they believed the artwork would “put a smile on people’s faces”. Outcome: Scrapped 2001 Proposal: Red and White Brick Road A bid to build a red and white footpath from the then-proposed Metro Station to the Stadium of Light was suggested. The coloured road was intended to guide fans, much like Dorothy was guided by the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz, to the Stadium on match days. But the scheme never took off and fans found their way to the ground perfectly well on the normal footpath. Outcome: Scrapped 2004 Proposal: Super-Casino Creating up to 2,000 jobs, a Las-Vegas style super-casino was touted for land next to the Stadium of Light. The brainchild of US multimillionaire Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands company, which owned the Venetian Hotel and gaming complex in the Nevada resort, the casino aimed to be the first of its kind in the North. It was hoped the venue would attract gamblers from across the country and would pull in Wearsiders when the football club was playing away. The plans, worth millions of pounds to the city, were welcomed by Sunderland Council. Then leader, Coun Bob Symonds, said: “It’s important for the region. “It will be a visitor attraction and create jobs and I think Sunderland would have as good a chance as any location.” Outcome: Scrapped 2007 Proposal: Adelaide restaurant/museum Sunderland’s long-running saga to save the historic City of Adelaide ship took a new twist when plans were revealed to turn it into an upside-down leisure complex. The proposals, put forward by marine engineers, was to flip the vessel and transform the hull into an eye-catching visitor attraction and restaurant. Condemned as “undignified” by those hoping to restore the Adelaide to its former glory, both Sunderland and Glasgow were touted as possible new homes for the converted ship. Outcome: Scrapped 2008 Proposal: Spirit of Sunderland Soaring 33 storeys high, this “skyscraper” was going to be the tallest building in the North. To be built in Holmeside, the tower promised to be an “icon and a symbol of Sunderland”. Shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and 150 apartments were to be housed in the tower which would also create 1,800 new jobs. A cocktail bar would have “sweeping views” of the city and be homed on the 24th floor and would, according to developers, be “an essential stop for anyone visiting the North East”. According to the now defunct Sunderland arc, the building would “signify a confidence and prosperity that could put Sunderland on the international map”. Compared to the Gherkin in London, Spirit of Sunderland would encourage people to live in the city centre and create a 24-hour economy for the city. Outcome: Scrapped 2009 Proposal: Indoor ski centre The multimillion pound development promised to create a giant indoor ski centre – with real snow. It was to be housed in a giant sporting venue which would also include an ice-rink, shops, bars and restaurants. A first for the North East, it would have been the only facility of its kind between Leeds and Glasgow. Sunderland arc, which was working with Sunderland City Council on the proposals, said the centre would position Sunderland as a “major sporting venue for the region”. The ski slope was to be homed on land between Hay Street and St Peter’s Metro station, and pledged to boost the “city as a visitor destination”. Outcome: Scrapped 2013 Scrapping of plans for iconic bridge Proposals for England’s tallest bridge were first announced around 2003, although plans have been on the drawing board since the 1980s. By 2006 there were fears of a “funding gap” emerging. But in 2008, the first images of the 180-metre-high “iconic” bridge were released, with designers hailing it “a signpost for the city”. Created by award-winning architect Stephen Spence, the crossing between Pallion and Hylton Castle, with its twisted pylon rising out of the river, was intended as a “symbol for Sunderland that will be recognised around the world”. In April 2010, councillors approved plans for the crossing, likened to San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge, which would cost up to £133million. But last week Sunderland Council confirmed the bridge project will now not be pursued. Instead a simplified cable-stayed design is being explored. Those that made it – almost: 1989 Project: Seaburn fountain The fountain, dubbed the Iron Dandelion, stopped flowing water not long after it was built. Dogged by problems, including yobs pouring dye into the water, mineral deposits clogging the pipes and strong winds snapping the head off in 1991, it was quickly deemed an eyesore. Despite pleas for its removal, the 40ft fountain, which cost £198.000, remained in place. Fifteen years later, after much grumbling, it was finally removed. 2000 Project: Ambit The 22-tonne floating artwork was dogged with problems almost as soon as it was unveiled in the Wear. The sculpture’s lights were dimmed by a build-up of silt, then extinguished altogether when a timer failed. Ambit had been in the water for just five months when corrosion caused one of its connecting bolts to break, and the sculpture became a target for vandals who threw breeze blocks at it and cut power cables. It was later removed from the water. Inspired by the Austin shipyards pontoon which was used to raise and lower ships into the Wear, the artwork received massive criticism from the Wearside public and the Echo later revealed how it had been left in an old storage unit. The success stories: Herrington Country Park: A former pit site reclaimed and revamped into one of the city’s biggest attractions. It is now used for concerts, theatrical performances, the Sunderland Festival, the North East’s biggest funfair and an array of fun-runs and other sporting events. The Aquatic Centre: Officially opened in 2008, the indoor sports complex next to the Stadium of Light houses the only full Olympic-standard pool situated between Glasgow and Leeds. On June 16, 2012, the city scored a major coup when the Olympic torch was carried through the centre as part of the Olympics torch relay. The Stadium of Light: Not only home to a Premier League team, but now a world-leader in hosting pop concerts by some of the biggest names in the music industry. The stadium has played a key role in boosting the city’s economy by millions of pounds every year.
His comments "From the people I've spoken to in Sunderland..." TRY VISITING THE PLACE YOU PRICK - GET OFF YOUR IVORY THRONE AND GET YOUR ARSE UP HERE TO HAVE A LOOK! Imagine if I said to someone at work "I was speaking to a lad in one of the health centres and he says that this is a problem and needs fixing. Any chance we can spend a few thousand sorting it out" My boss would say "Go have a look and assess what can be done. Hate the government - Labour are simply the best of a bad bunch and the guy running them is a bellend too! Loony part for me every day!!
Aye but that was the councils **** up, pulling the plug on Tesco's plans for the site, which were almost identical, less a supermarket, to the one's the council now puts forward using public money! I'm not sure that we need an extra bridge personally, I feel we'd be better investing in road links from the A-roads to the city, which are very badly served. I'm not saying that an extra bridge isn't a good thing, just that the money could be better put to use IMO. I'm not entirely sure that a bridge can be built for that kind of money, so I'd like to see the REAL cost of it, and the supposed benefits to the city, other than a slight traffic calming in a city where the traffic actually flows way better than many (due to the lack of proximity of any ****ing a-road access...). I've been in Sunderland last 3 days, I'm waiting for the keys to my new place, and I haven't seen any major traffic problems, admittedly I'm not out there in rush hour. Would an extension of the Metro service, which was not extended, ridiculously, to Doxford Park, not be a bigger benefit, both reducing traffic in that direction and encouraging businesses to invest in the park due to a strong, fast public transport link? Actually, I'm running for mayor, I'll get this city up to scratch. Vote Gonads!
You know though mate, joking aside, the Vaux site is just a ****ing travesty. Tesco, not everyone's dream for the site, but it could have been completed years ago, how much investment, private investment, has gone due to that site being an eyesore? Like of loath, big supermarkets pull people in, close to the city centre, a few more retailers around the main supermarket, and maybe people nip in by the odd extra bit here and there, then the city has a moving economy, maybe more retailers & businesses invest, then we're off. It's such ****ing basic stuff, yet we have been left for what, 15 years or so, with that mess, bang on the main road around the city, riverside. I know I don't live in the city (well, Seaburn for the next 2 weeks, but you know what I mean..), but Sunderland is, always will be home, and I do, genuinely, give a **** about the place. I noted the words 'this is thanks to this council's hard work', does that make up for 50 years of ineptitude? Does it ****. Not slating council workers I must add, I have a few friends working in the council who are top grafters, but the decision makers have got it wrong since the 50's.
Was there also a giant glass ball on the end of Queen Alexandra Bridge?, it would seem appropriate would it not.
Go for it Gonads! I agree with the sentiment about the extra bridge, don't think we need it. It's a pain getting over the Queen Alex in rush hour ( traditionally not just because of the current roadworks in the town centre ) but a big part of that is the hassle of getting out of town on the 2 major west bound routes, Chetser Road and Durham Road. Chester Road has become steadily worse since the pointless bus lane ( and taxi's and white vans etc. ) was introduced - might have been better to make that 3 lane using the old unused cycle roads that run along the stretch from The Prospect lights to the North Farm Roundabout. So I agree - extend the Metro to both Doxy International and Washy; there's plenty of old rail line beds still in place just as there was for the South Hylton extension. That will help take congestion off the roads and reduce the need for another road bridge anyhow. I would still like to see a pedestrian bridge from the Sheepfolds to the Riverside Park though, but that's just me being selfish so I don't have to walk from B & Q through the town. Where's the new pad?
Banks of the Tyne I'm afraid mate, as age jogs along I fancied a house instead of an apartment, mainly cos I want a dog, and the deals were fantastic. It's sad, but there's nowhere in Sunderland I wanna live, Seaburn, Herrington, Boldon, Cleadon are all beautiful, a few more besides, but the access thing, as mentioned by us both, is a big deal. I think a pedestrian bridge there is a great idea, would also serve the Estadio de la Luz on matchdays, but the extension of the Metro, well that would solve several problems in one. Did it really need to go to South Hylton? South Hylton isn't bad for access anyway, being as it were one of the places well served by the A19, it's just an extraordinary lack of foresight and planning, as you say, many of the line are in-situ and could easily be brought back into service.
Home is where the heart is, not the property! Sounds good to me. Have fun walking that dog when you get one ( or more ) I think one of the main reasons for it going to SH was to support Uni population explosion, much of which is housed along the south side of the wear. However, now it's through here there should be incremental extension to the major housing estates in the City ( hate calling it that, it's still a town in County Durham in my heart and head )
Not saying it should have went instead of the route to South Hylton mate, but considering Sunderland taxpayers have been paying for it for 30 years, it should have served all areas. The fact that the existing mainline rail was used to serve along via Seaburn to Pelaw means in reality, not a great deal was gained, the SOL & St Peters stops, well, they were walking distance anyway, Seaburn had a rail stop, did we actually benefit from that route at all? Not massively, if at all IMO. The simple, single factor in improving the city the most would be road access, it would be a massive cost, and an insanely massive task, but if the city genuinely wants to prosper, it has to be addressed. Sadly, the money isn't, and is never likely to be there for such a mammouth task.
