A new Civic Centre and Railway Station



Sam Handwich said:
It's Graeme.
Sometimes

Chronicle reporting(how ironic is that) the new civic is going to cost 80m. Reprehensible if true. As usual the Echo will be sitting on its hands despite knowing exactly the same as the Chronic.
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How much will the civic centre site be worth though? I reckon that will pay for a canny bit of it.
 
Sam Handwich said:
It's Graeme.
Sometimes

Chronicle reporting(how ironic is that) the new civic is going to cost 80m. Reprehensible if true. As usual the Echo will be sitting on its hands despite knowing exactly the same as the Chronic.
Click to expand...

If there was ever proof that the chronicle and its readership are only ever concerned with Sunderland its when this city tries to do something positive, look at the comments and the theme. Just because Sunderland hasn't bankrupted itself like Newcastle has,(who knows maybe by being a shareholder in the airport?) But soon as it comes to building something of civic pride in Sunderland they're quick to pour scorn upon it. Just like the new fabulous northern spire bridge.....the comments in the chronicle were sceptical, bitter.
The current civic centre is a carbuncle and is costing thousands each year in maintenance. The train station is a carbuncle too both buildings are hated....and a source of much mocking from our novocastrian cousins. Well done for the council wanting to get rid of them
 
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citybythesea said:
The metro system has made Sunderland an awkward cul-de-sac in railway terms. Sunderland connected to the east coast mainline only through Newcastle is scandalous. It's restricted trains. Sunderland's connectivity both road and rail needs to be independently developed to the south through the Durham coast line. Our main focus needs to promoted without the Tyne and Wear link. The incorporation of the Tyne and Wear metro....to err.....Wearside has made Sunderland a conceptual suburb of "Tyneside". The metro doesn't serve us, remember the majority was made along existing rail track at the turn of the millennium. It didnt make connected useful routes across wearside. Rather it was a cheap bolt on addition to a Newcastle-centric system, that took commerce from Sunderland and inhibited train services.
Sunderland needs to think more independently to the "Tyne and Wear project" that has always been a bad deal for Sunderland
Our future is away from this unequal partnership
Develop road and rail services including a train station south of the city centre.

Ps Well done to the council leaders acknowledging the city centre has been 'hollowed out' over the last few decades and bringing jobs and homes to the city centre as a priority. That idea needs to be commended
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Exactly. The metro 'extension' has done nothing but make Sunderland Newcastle's most outlying suburb.
 
Dinsdale said:
Plus take into account maintenace on a poorly designed and semi-dilapidated building which has major issues and the new building probably pays for itself in 15-20 years time imo
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There are empty buildings in the town centre that could have been used for the ever diminishing council. Its been quoted as £200,000 a year in maintenance and £80m for a new build. Putting a grand civic centre showpiece on the Vaux site reduces the land left for other ventures that actually make money for city. The site was never intended for that.
 
Sam Handwich said:
There are empty buildings in the town centre that could have been used for the ever diminishing council. Its been quoted as £200,000 a year in maintenance and £80m for a new build. Putting a grand civic centre showpiece on the Vaux site reduces the land left for other ventures that actually make money for city. The site was never intended for that.
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But there's few takers for the parcels of land on the Vaux site as it stands. Council moving from the civic to Vaux might get a bot of momentum but it only leaves an even bigger hole to fill and we could be in a situatipn where we're talking about what to do with Civic site 20 years from now.
 
Sam Handwich said:
There are empty buildings in the town centre that could have been used for the ever diminishing council. Its been quoted as £200,000 a year in maintenance and £80m for a new build. Putting a grand civic centre showpiece on the Vaux site reduces the land left for other ventures that actually make money for city. The site was never intended for that.
Click to expand...
The council was always going to move to the Vaux site.
 

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