The Development
City of Opportunity
Sunderland is a city on the march.
Named as the ‘best city to live and work’ (2018) as well as a ‘favourite discovery’ globally by The Guardian (2023), ambitious growth plans, major inward investment, and significant housing and urban regeneration programmes are now firmly taking shape to position the city as one of the most attractive and sought after locations to do business in the UK.
Sunderland offers the best of both worlds; a stunning coastline with award-winning beaches, rugged landscape and open countryside has seen the city thrive as a tourist destination, whilst a dynamic business community with its loyal and highly skilled workforce, niche industry expertise and growth opportunities, has attracted some of the largest and most innovative global organisations to relocate, expand or create a UK base here in the city.
Over £3bn of investment projects are now being delivered and this will firmly establish Sunderland as a visionary city and a highly attractive location to live, work and visit.
Sunderland economy
Sunderland has a highly successful, diverse and far-reaching economy,
and is home to some of the largest and most recognised companies worldwide.
From automotive and advanced manufacturing to customer services, tech and professional services, major brands and organisations including Nissan, Vantec, Unipres, AESC, Ocado, Just Eat, Tombola, RSA and Barclays (amongst others) create an enviable and powerful business portfolio that makes Sunderland a city of international interest and a place to invest and do business.
More recently, renowned production company, Fulwell73, also announced plans to create one of Europe’s largest film studios here in Sunderland. With investment in excess of £450m, the city will become home to a world-class creative industry that will support 8,500 jobs and attract new film and TV projects on a global scale.
A creative industrial revolution
This anticipated development will become a major destination for film and high-end TV production, creating one of Europe’s largest studio complexes – including 20 soundstages in the heart of Sunderland.
Crown Works Studios will transform the economy of the North East – spurring a creative industrial revolution in one of the UK’s most exciting sectors, and generating £336m a year for the regional economy, creating over 8,000 jobs. It will enhance the UK’s offer to the global film and high-end TV industry, and enable the North East to play a far greater role in future growth.
Described as the most economically significant development for the North East since the arrival of Nissan in the 1980s. Alongside specialist skills for the UK film industry, those who will benefit from the development being on their doorstep include carpenters, engineers, designers, drivers, electricians, hair & make-up artists, and medics amongst others.
Powered by digital
Sunderland is renowned as a ‘smart’ city – and in partnership with Boldyn Networks are unleashing the power of digital and connectivity to enable its businesses to thrive and its residents to access more and better opportunities.
Every part of the city will be plugged into the world through cutting-edge digital infrastructure, with 5G being rolled out across Sunderland, and new technologies helping improve the lives of residents and unlock the potential of businesses at Riverside and beyond. People will benefit from better connected schools that are able to deliver education in new and innovative ways, to improved access to assistive technology that will enable people to live differently. And business will too – whether through excellent connectivity that allows them to work more effectively, or unlocking the opportunities presented by automation, that relies on high-speed internet access. The city truly is leading the way when it comes to unleashing the benefits of connectivity.
Low carbon city
Sunderland is a green city in many ways. Rich with rolling green hills and parkland, it is propelling itself forward as a sustainable city, innovating to minimise its carbon footprint.
Riverside Sunderland is set to be the UK’s first low carbon urban quarter – a sustainable community, with green homes, offices and spaces to enjoy. New offices at Riverside are designed to deliver for even the most environmentally focused businesses – built to BREEAM sustainability standards – while homes will be built using modern methods of construction, something that will soon be taught out of Sunderland College’s Housing Innovation & Construction Skills Academy on Riverside Sunderland.
Sunderland is blazing a trail when it comes to sustainability, with developments like the £1bn Nissan 36Zero EV Hub project, that will see the city’s skilled people build green cars, powered by electric batteries, from factories that are powered by a dedicated microgrid. Indeed, the city is at the heart of electrification, and is using its world-class digital infrastructure to drive this agenda too, working on cutting edge projects that explore how automation can drive down emissions.
Through its Low Carbon Framework – which the business community in the city is firmly behind – Sunderland is working to become a carbon neutral city by 2040. And the community is engaged too, with a range of groups and initiatives to educate and inspire greener ways of living.
Great work life balance
Named the ‘third richest city in the UK’ according to scientists who looked at the assets the city has to offer vs the things that lead to a rich and fulfilled life, Sunderland is a place that is blessed with friendly, welcoming communities; attractive house prices that represent exceptional value for money meaning you can spend more on the things you enjoy; stunning natural assets and a brilliant choice of activities – from sport, to the cinema and West End shows to surfing all on the menu.
Excellent schools, a leading college and a world-class University mean this is also a great place to study – unsurprising, then, that Sunderland was named the best city to live for under 30s, in a recent report by OneFamily.
Well-connected
A19/A1
just minutes away
Under 30
minutes from NCL airport
5G
connectivity
Direct train service
to York and London
Metro
approx every 12 minutes
Right at the heart of the North East, with direct links to London and Edinburgh, Sunderland is perfectly located in the centre of one of the UK’s most exciting regions. Served by Metro overground, which links Tyneside and Wearside, Sunderland is the perfect urban launchpad, with ease of access to neighbouring towns and cities for work or play.
At the heart of it all
Sunderland is right at the heart of it all… Centrally located, between Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Durham, the city could not be better placed for access to the North East and Teesside. From cosmopolitan highstreets, to rugged castles and coastlines, this is a region of places to see, passions to pursue and people who play just as hard as they work. It’s a vibrant region full of opportunity.