Falcon Fox Construction has completed remediation and civil engineering works at Nile + Villiers, a new residential-led development in Sunniside, Sunderland.
The scheme is a key part of Sunderland City Council’s Sunniside Place Strategy—a ten-year plan to bring new life, activity and investment to the area.
Falcon Fox is acting as construction manager for this innovative development which will provide 75 new energy efficient homes, alongside 6,000 sq ft of commercial space fronting onto High Street West. The scheme aims to reinstate two streets demolished in the 2000s which were historically home to printers, cabinet makers and textile workers.
Over the next decade, the Council is aiming to deliver approximately 2,000 new homes across the city centre in developments at Riverside Sunderland, Sunniside, and at West Park, on the site of the former Civic Centre.
Upon completion, 65 of the homes at Nile + Villiers will be acquired by built-to-rent specialist, Placefirst, with the remaining homes being sold to the public. The commercial space will be leased to smaller and start-up businesses.
Since the project commenced in autumn 2025, Falcon Fox has overseen the completion of site remediation and major civil engineering works, with structural timber frames currently being erected on numerous phases of the build and internal fit out works progressing at pace.
As a direct result of the Nile + Villiers contract, Falcon Fox has employed five new members of staff and has subcontracted to a range of North East-based companies including All Floors Services based in Boldon and James Burrell Builders Merchants in Sunderland.
Falcon Fox, director, Duncan Bowman, said: “We were delighted to be appointed at the outset of such an ambitious regeneration project for the city of Sunderland and, through our commitment to deliver added social value, we are recruiting new staff and ensuring companies from within the North East are given the opportunity to provide their services and expertise throughout the development process.
“This project combines really striking and innovative architecture with fully tiled façades and EPC A rated homes that incorporate many sustainable features including photovoltaics, timber frames and air source heat pumps. The housing is designed to generate a real community feel with homes located around a central landscaped area with a sustainable urban drainage system which is buried 4.50 metre below ground.
“The project comprises elements of major civil engineering and housebuilding, making it a technically challenging project, which we are thoroughly absorbed in.”
Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see work progressing at pace at the Nile + Villiers development, and even more so to see a North East business playing such a pivotal role in its delivery.
“The scheme is a key part of our ten-year strategy to breathe new life into this historic part of the city, developing a strong sense of place and purpose, creating a safe and active neighbourhood, intensifying the population and business uses, supporting the growth of the local cultural and creative community, and sustaining change through cooperative stewardship.
“Completing the civil engineering works is an exciting milestone in the delivery of the development and the ongoing transformation of Sunniside.”