We need to talk about Sunniside - 'warts and all' report on city centre area ridden with crime and antisocial behaviour

Back in 2021, Sunderland City Council’s Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee agreed to set up a working group to look at improvements to the city centre district.

It came after councillors raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, drug use and “halfway houses” in the area, and calls for it to be cleared up before a landmark new railway station redevelopment is completed.

In recent months, the cross-party working group met with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including local ward councillors, Northumbria Police, the city’s Business Improvement District (BID) and council officers.

The working group’s findings, which were presented back to the Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee in a report this month, concluded that Sunniside’s challenges were “complex and deep rooted”.

Councillors heard that the area was traditionally the historic business centre of Sunderland and had been subject to major regeneration works including the development of Sunniside Gardens and new bars and entertainment venues.

Despite progress over the years, the report said there was a perception that Sunniside’s development had , to an extent, “stalled”.

It was noted that the area is now “underpopulated” resulting in a “lack of economic activity, vibrancy and low footfall”, as well as facing an “ongoing problem with antisocial behaviour, crime and fear of crime”.

The report added that “housing provision is often of low quality, with a high number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)” and that the area “has a concentration of supported accommodation, housing a number of people with complex problems and needs”, including drug and alcohol issues.

Councillors heard that some businesses believed the police and council were “not doing enough” to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour “leading to a feeling of frustration at what was seen as a lack of action”.

However it was also acknowledged that the area has “potential for improvement” and has attracted social enterprises, early-stage businesses and an emerging cultural and creative services sector.

Although the scrutiny report recommended a masterplan to recognise Sunniside as an “integral part of the overall regeneration of the city centre”, councillors heard work was already under way on this front.

This includes a pilot project led by the Department of Levelling Up, Homes & Communities which has seen the council commission a consultant team to “develop a masterplan and vision” for Sunniside.

The project, which will run throughout 2023, intends to develop a “collective vision” for the area and a plan which can be developed into short-term actions.

As part of the improvement project, there would also be an assessment of property and shops in the area and a working group involving the council, public health, housing and licensing to “coordinate action and maintain momentum”.

Future and planned developments in Sunniside include proposals for new homes with adjoining workspaces on land near Villiers Street to help repopulate the area and further develop its cultural sector.

On anti-social behaviour issues, recent developments have included the Sunderland Altogether Improving Lives (SAIL) project which includes a multi-agency base set up at High Street West with police resources and street wardens.

In addition the council recently received funding to appoint three officers to “inspect and provide support and guidance” to the owners of supported accommodation.

Councillors on the Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee discussed the Sunniside Working Group’s findings at a meeting on Tuesday, April 4, at City Hall.

Councillor David Snowdon, chair of the panel, was involved in the working group and said he didn’t want the Sunniside area to be “left behind” in regeneration plans for the city centre.

While acknowledging that positive work was happening in Sunniside, a number of councillors praised the scrutiny report for highlighting the area’s challenges.

Councillor Lyall Reed said: “I think this is, in many ways, exactly what this Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee should be, which is providing leadership and direction in certain directions.

“It’s a warts and all report, one paragraph says certain residents have criticised the council, we haven’t hid anything on that one”.

Councillor Michael Dixon, who sat on the working group, said the report had helped to “increase the exposure” of Sunniside, which he said had “seemed to be slightly neglected in priorities”.

Cllr Dixon said: “I personally think it’s a complex area and I don’t think there are any easy solutions and we’re dealing with business as well as housing”.

Councillor Usman Ali added issues with supported housing in Sunniside needed to be addressed to make it “attractive for people to want to live around that area”.

He also suggested the use of a planning direction, similar to that used in Hendon, and said that tackling Sunniside’s housing problems was possible and “a case of somebody pushing the button and getting it done”.

Cllr Ali continued: “It is getting better, I have noticed that there’s wardens out there and it’s making a difference but it’s still a fairly rough area at the best of times.

“Why can’t we look at this supported housing in terms of being moved somewhere else […] if you want to project this lovely area to live around Sunniside with all these areas and housing that’s going to be coming up where the civic centre used to be, well would you want to live there with it being as rough as it is at the moment, you probably wouldn’t”.

Neil Guthrie, a development director at Sunderland City Council, responding, set out housing issues linked to the Sunniside area, including what he described as an “over predominance of HMOs and hostel accommodation”.

Councillors heard that work was ongoing around a wider housing support strategy to “ensure that people who live in some of the communities are getting the right level of support and that they’re in the right place”.

While the development chief said “dilution is definitely an approach that needs to be taken” it “wouldn’t be a short-term fix” and would require coordinated work both locally and regionally.

Mr Guthrie said: “We need to ensure that the people that we’re talking about, that their needs are addressed somewhere.

“We can’t just push the problem on”.

The Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee’s working group made a total of nine recommendations around supported housing, events, antisocial behaviour, leisure and more, with some of the actions already in motion.

Several councillors also made calls for the report to be referred to Sunderland City Council’s ruling cabinet, with Cllr Dixon asking for reassurance that the report would not be “shelved”.

Council scrutiny support officers said they would investigate requests for a cabinet referral and/or a cabinet member briefing further.

The Sunniside Working Group’s report is available to view via Sunderland City Council’s website.

https://committees.sunderland.gov.uk/committees/cmis5/Meetings/tabid/73/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/410/Meeting/10860/Committee/1981/Default.aspx

The Sunniside Working Group’s recommendations included:

:: That a masterplan and vision for the Sunniside area be prepared which involves all partners and the local community.

:: That an implementation plan and delivery structure is put in place to ensure joint working between the council and its partners.

:: That the council and its partners continue to develop strategies for dealing with the immediate problem of anti-social behaviour in the Sunniside area, including the siting of additional CCTV cameras.

:: That the council continue to investigate options for improving the quality of supported accommodation and improving the housing mix in the Sunniside area over the medium and long term.

:: That the council investigate the potential of using planning and licensingregulations to work with landlords to improve the quality [of] HMOs in the area.

:: That the councill work with partners to develop more local events such as food festivals/markets and the promotion of themed nights in local bars and restaurants to bring greater footfall into the area and improve levels of vibrancy.

:: That the council consider measures to improve linkages and the public realm to encourage greater footfall into the Sunniside area.

:: That the council look to promote the development of a leisure offer in the city and seek to ensure that existing facilities are maintained and expanded upon.

:: That the Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee continue to monitor progress on the recommendations set out in the report and receive further update reports.