Cramlington-based Compass Developments has been appointed by igloo Regeneration to deliver 34 homes within the Vaux Neighbourhood at Riverside Sunderland, which will be delivered using investment from the Housing Growth Partnership fund.
Construction of the new city centre homes, including 16 innovative and sustainable properties inspired by award-winning designs produced by igloo Regeneration, Open Studios and Mawson Kerr for the Government’s Home of 2030 design competition, is progressing at pace and is due to complete in 2027.
The homes are part of the award-winning Riverside Sunderland regeneration project that is being delivered by Sunderland City Council with support from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the North East Combined Authority and Homes England.
Stephen O’Neill, director at Compass Developments, said: “The extent and impact of the regeneration taking place in Sunderland is recognised nationally and internationally and, as a business located in the North East, it gives us great pride to play our part in shaping the future of city centre living. Working alongside igloo, we are delivering homes that set new benchmarks for sustainable, healthy, attractive and future-ready living, and provide a new city centre housing and lifestyle offer.
“The properties, which will be located on the site between The Beam and the new Sunderland Eye Hospital, will include two-and three-bedroom terraced townhouses and maisonettes and will form part of a vibrant community located within a continually evolving and growing city centre.”
Residents will benefit from green spaces, independent eateries, cultural venues and riverside walks all on their doorstep, with the development being designed and delivered with igloo Regeneration’s People, Place and Planet-first ethos at its heart.
In total, 133 new homes will stand on the former Vaux site, forming part of a mixed-use neighbourhood where people can live, work and play. The ambitious Riverside Sunderland masterplan, led by Sunderland City Council, aims to double the city centre population from 2,500 to 5,000 and create 10,000 new jobs, alongside new places and spaces for people to enjoy.
Michelle Williams, project director at igloo Regeneration, said: “This site has an exceptionally rich heritage. Once the beating heart of Sunderland’s shipbuilding industry and later home to the iconic Vaux Brewery, it is now entering a new chapter. These new homes will sit at the centre of a vibrant city hub surrounded by culture, business, and leisure. Designed to be low in both embodied carbon and operational carbon, they will help create a sustainable, diverse, and dynamic new community. The homes will be coming to the market late summer 26 with the first occupants expected in early 2027.”
