At Long Last! Go Ahead Given For The Vaux Site - This Is Important!

On July 2nd 1999 I walked out of the Vaux Brewery for the very last time, along with 700 other loyal employees who had been made unnecessarily redundant. Seventeen (17) years later we finally have an announcement of positive action to redevelop the site...

I was a member of the very close knit marketing department and to this day I still consider it a bittersweet honour that I was tasked with creating the very final brew, 'Time, Gentleman Please!', a limited edition bottled ale that was given only to Vaux employees as a parting gift

For those who don't know the full, inexcusable story of why Vaux closed in 1999 despite being a profitable business, the following Journal article gives a good summary of what led to the closure and what the Sunderland Echo article summarises what has happened since then

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/restaurants-bars/painful-anniversary-vaux-brewery-sunderland-4480444

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/the-17-year-saga-of-sunderland-s-vaux-site-1-7864073

Anyway, at long last we have positive action being taken!

Sunderland City Council have approved Siglion's plans for Phase 1 of the redevelopment (shown below) and have also given outline planning permission for the masterplan of further development

It is hoped that the initial office development above will be followed by flagship restaurant and retail developments and 200 homes

Development work could start as early as this summer

I really do hope that this will provide the much needed boost to the City Centre and the wider local economy and as a result has a much more positive impact on the Sunderland property market as a whole beyond the 200 "homes" planned for the site itself (as face it, they're going to be more swanky apartments that we can really do without, aren't they?)

If you want to discuss any aspect of the Sunderland property market please call me on 0191 567 8577 or email neil.whitfield@belvoirlettings.com