Sunderland now to Sunderland in 1999

Mmmm

To be honest I think a lot has been achieved in 20 years with some glaring exceptions

Looking at the mostly empty vaux site, sheepfolds and a lot of sunniside. A lot of places would have capitalised on these given their closeness to the city centre.
The focus of placing commerce outside the city centre has continued with rainton bridge, this followed on from the doxford park mistake earlier. Retail has dived nationally and its proved sunderland doesn't have the diversity in commerce to cope.

The port seems to be bringing in trade now but they need to encourage traffic via the south entrance as the junction on the wearmouth bridge isn't suited to HGVs

Train station is still the same with the line to Newcastle central clogged up with the metro. They need to resist allowing metros south of the city centre that inhibits the Durham coast line. This line needs to be developed for national rail services as the prominent link to the east coast main line.
 


Surely the question should be has Sunderland kept up with the rate of change and improvement compared to other cities?

loads of other smallish cities have probably seen a similar slow rate of change while others have changed dramatically.

How much is down to the sitting and previous councils actions/ inactions is I suppose open to debate
 
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Surely the question should be has Sunderland kept up with the rate of change and improvement compared to other cities?

loads of other smallish cities have probably seen a similar slow rate of change while others have changed dramatically.

How much is down to the sitting and previous councils actions/ inactions is I suppose open to debate

Compared to Newcastle very little has materialized in Sunderland and we have fell sharply behind.

They are getting mega investments thrown at them left, right and center whilst we struggle for substansial FDI. Our flagship developments (Vaux and the New Bridge) have came at least 20 years behind theirs (Quayside)
 
Compared to Newcastle very little has materialized in Sunderland and we have fell sharply behind.

They are getting mega investments thrown at them left, right and center whilst we struggle for substansial FDI. Our flagship developments (Vaux and the New Bridge) have came at least 20 years behind theirs (Quayside)
Like it or not Newcastle is a much bigger city, a lot down to it being the traditional major city of the north east....yep they’ve had it good in comparison for years but the I guess Manchester or Birmingham have had it much better than Newcastle for years.
If people are going to compare city’s surely comparing cities of similar size is more appropriate.
You also have to factor in the absolute devastation losing heavy industry in the north east and how it has had to deal with it.
Newcastle wasn’t as reliant on core industries like coal or shipbuilding where a fair old % of people in Sunderland and the wider area relied on them.

As for councils, they are all much of a muchness in the dept of making howlers or not acting fast enough to adapt to the economic climate and need of the local residents
 
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Like it or not Newcastle is a much bigger city, a lot down to it being the traditional major city of the north east....yep they’ve had it good in comparison for years but the I guess Manchester or Birmingham have had it much better than Newcastle for years.
If people are going to compare city’s surely comparing cities of similar size is more appropriate.
You also have to factor in the absolute devastation losing heavy industry in the north east and how it has had to deal with it.
Newcastle wasn’t as reliant on core industries like coal or shipbuilding where a fair old % of people in Sunderland and the wider area relied on them.

As for councils, they are all much of a muchness in the dept of making howlers or not acting fast enough to adapt to the economic climate and need of the local residents

You heard the phrase, "carrying coals to newcastle"?


They had the export rights for coals produced in the durham coal fields
 
Indeed but in modern times Newcastle has always been more diverse economically, Christ a call centre for 300 people is being heralded as a major coup

<<<Which is what Sunderland needs to become. Especially in the city centre, more businesses other than retail.
 
It was best when I bought my Le Coq pinstripe from the club shop in Jacky White's in the early 80's. They gave me a free poster with the reserves and youth fixtures on it and ads on it for SavaCentre and "Over the moors and down the dales with Moordale."

I loved the place then.
 
The city of newcastle isn't much bigger than Sunderland, it just has a far larger catchment area to entice people from. Having the highest % of public sector workers in the country helps anarl. Sadly imho Sunderland is a lot more run down than it was 20 years ago.
 
The city of newcastle isn't much bigger than Sunderland, it just has a far larger catchment area to entice people from. Having the highest % of public sector workers in the country helps anarl. Sadly imho Sunderland is a lot more run down than it was 20 years ago.

It's fair to say Sunderland gets overlooked for just about everything that has regional importance. The swimming pool at the SOL was the last thing, even that was being planned for Newcastle university.

Suppose they wanted to build a new athletics stadium for the north east.......there's no way it would get through without being in Newcastle or Gateshead. The region has centralisation as a core principle in selling itself to the world. Sunderland isn't part of those plans.


the north east is a marginalised place with the exception of Newcastle...... not that I want to politicise it but the region voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU......with one exception, Newcastle. Correlation there?
 
Opinions on what’s changed and are we in better place 20 year later???
Footy was miles better
Towns pubs where miles better
All the shite council estates have gone
There where no taxi drivers from the Indian sub -continent back then ,local lads who didn’t need a sat nav .Where have they all come from Tyneside /teeside ?
 
Compared to Newcastle very little has materialized in Sunderland and we have fell sharply behind.

They are getting mega investments thrown at them left, right and center whilst we struggle for substansial FDI. Our flagship developments (Vaux and the New Bridge) have came at least 20 years behind theirs (Quayside)

Most of what is currently being built in Newcastle is downright ugly, cookie cutter student accommodation. Sunderland would do well to stay away from such or if they must have them insist on a higher standard of design both internally and externally.
 
You heard the phrase, "carrying coals to newcastle"?


They had the export rights for coals produced in the durham coal fields

Yes, the trade of it. Newcastle city centre was never as predominantly based around actual heavy industry to the extent that Sunderland or Middlesbrough was, with the exception of the Stevenson yards. There was always more soft industries and finance there which allowed more historic capital to build within it. The Quayside even was outside of the city historically.
Train station is still the same with the line to Newcastle central clogged up with the metro. They need to resist allowing metros south of the city centre that inhibits the Durham coast line. This line needs to be developed for national rail services as the prominent link to the east coast main line.

Completely agree. Use trams if we want better local connections.
 
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Most of what is currently being built in Newcastle is downright ugly, cookie cutter student accommodation. Sunderland would do well to stay away from such or if they must have them insist on a higher standard of design both internally and externally.

You may well be correct on the aesthetics of the student accommodations however they will bring a huge investment into the city. The change, over time, the same huge influx of students have made to Manchester has to be a good target to replicate.
 
You may well be correct on the aesthetics of the student accommodations however they will bring a huge investment into the city. The change, over time, the same huge influx of students have made to Manchester has to be a good target to replicate.

I was in Manchester at the weekend, the number of homeless people was overwhelming. If that is the type of change that shiny new students will bring then I’m not in favour.
 
I was in Manchester at the weekend, the number of homeless people was overwhelming. If that is the type of change that shiny new students will bring then I’m not in favour.
Has sunderland got a large amount of homeless in the town centre?I truthfully cant remember seeing any the last time I was up,busloads down here however.Sunderland just needs a decent cash injection into the city,when you say your from sunderland everyone down here thinks everyone in sunderland works in Nissan and has it easy.
 

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