Sunderland Regeneration and Visitor Boosts to the City

Sunderland has been described as being ‘on the up’ for the past few months. Visitors have said ‘long may the [regeneration to the city] ‘continue.’

Transcript

00:00Regeneration in Sunderland has been years in the making but city leaders say key projects

00:06are now coming together. New housing, bars, restaurants and cultural venues are reshaping

00:11the city centre alongside improved transport links across the River Weir. Sharon Attleby,

00:17Chief Executive of Sunderland's Business Improvement District says the city has finally

00:22found what she calls the right mix, pointing to developments like the fire station cultural venue

00:28and new health facilities. The opening of the Keel Crossing footbridge in October 2025

00:34marked a major milestone in plans to improve connectivity between the city centre and

00:39Sheepfold stables and here the Keel Crossing bridge is evidently proving a hit with Matchday fans and

00:45workers alike. Shall we find out what the people of Sunderland think about the bridge and what do

00:50they think about the regeneration projects in Sunderland? So it's a lot easier to get in and out

00:55from the football stadium to the city centre and it adds to the whole regeneration of the Riverside

00:59as well and what's happening down here. Definitely think it's on the up. I think a lot's happened in

01:04the last five or six years maybe a little bit more. I mean it's not that long ago when all this site was

01:09just the Vork site was just left because of their whole Tesco issue in the supermarket so it's fantastic

01:15that they've been able to regenerate in the way they have plus at a similar time same time you've got

01:22the football club on the up so there's a lot happening at the moment so I do think it's got

01:27a vibrancy about it. I think there's a lot going on and long may it continue. Alongside this several

01:33major projects are planned for Sunderland this year. One of them is Culture House at Keel Square,

01:39the landmark city library and multi-purpose cultural venue costing more than 27 million

01:45pounds is due to open in 2026. There are also major plans for the Sunderland Museum and Winter

01:52Gardens. The city's cultural institution is set for a significant transformation. With more projects

02:00underway including new public spaces and revived historic buildings the council believes regeneration

02:06can support jobs, boost visitor spending and strengthen the local economy.

02:13As Sunderland prepares for its next phase of development the focus is on whether regeneration

02:18translates into long-term benefits for residents as well as visitors. Supporters say improved

02:23infrastructure and cultural investment are helping to change perceptions of the city while critics argue

02:29success will depend on sustained funding and inclusive growth. For now the visible changes across the

02:35city centre suggests Sunderland's long transformation is entering a new chapter. BBC Radio 1 even says its

02:43big weekend event will take place in Sunderland from 22nd to the 24th of May 2026 with around 80,000

02:51fans expected delivering what organisers describe as a significant boost to the local economy.