A new Civic Centre and Railway Station

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

Totally agree with this. Ive been exiled since 89 and have always wanted to return (soon hopefully. Its a shame to say but its like living in Gillingham and travelling to London (or Canterbury) to actually enjoy an evening out for a meal/drink etc... (which Im sure isn't the case, I just don't know the town anymore).
I'd love to see Sunderland (as a town/city) move out of the shadow of the Tyne (and I say this begrudgingly) and become a City that can deliver on multiple fronts and be somewhere people WANT to come rather than having to rely on somewhere up the road.
 


Totally agree with this. Ive been exiled since 89 and have always wanted to return (soon hopefully. Its a shame to say but its like living in Gillingham and travelling to London (or Canterbury) to actually enjoy an evening out for a meal/drink etc... (which Im sure isn't the case, I just don't know the town anymore).
I'd love to see Sunderland (as a town/city) move out of the shadow of the Tyne (and I say this begrudgingly) and become a City that can deliver on multiple fronts and be somewhere people WANT to come rather than having to rely on somewhere up the road.

hear hear.

a decent concert venue would be a canny start.
with that, more decent pubs n restaurants will follow, as will hotels.
it's not rocket surgery!
 
Totally agree with this. Ive been exiled since 89 and have always wanted to return (soon hopefully. Its a shame to say but its like living in Gillingham and travelling to London (or Canterbury) to actually enjoy an evening out for a meal/drink etc... (which Im sure isn't the case, I just don't know the town anymore).
So you think it's like living in Gillingham and traveling to London, then you say you just don't know?

For the record, it isn't anything like that. Sunderland isn't as small as Gillingham and Newcastle isn't anywhere near the size of London.

I'd love to see Sunderland (as a town/city) move out of the shadow of the Tyne (and I say this begrudgingly) and become a City that can deliver on multiple fronts and be somewhere people WANT to come rather than having to rely on somewhere up the road.
This is the problem with many people from Sunderland - they always want to compare it to Newcastle. Sunderland needs to concentrate on its own strengths rather than trying to rival Newcastle.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "having to rely on somewhere up the road" ?
 
So you think it's like living in Gillingham and traveling to London, then you say you just don't know?

For the record, it isn't anything like that. Sunderland isn't as small as Gillingham and Newcastle isn't anywhere near the size of London.


This is the problem with many people from Sunderland - they always want to compare it to Newcastle. Sunderland needs to concentrate on its own strengths rather than trying to rival Newcastle.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "having to rely on somewhere up the road" ?

I thought it was a fairly good analogy to be fair? I agree they aren't the same size, but over the years in Gillingham, the restaurants, bars and shops have dried up and people tend to go to London (or Canterbury) to fill the gap... I wasn't trying to paint a picture of exact comparisons. With regards to 'not knowing' .. I don't know what decent or even chain restaurants are in Sunderland anymore.... that's all.. if people are happy not to have a Carluccios, or something like that, fine...
As to your second point regarding Newcastle. I personally don't want to rival Newcastle at all.... just not have to rely on it. But again, Im more than happy for you to point out what Sunderland has, rather than me (having not lived there for years) guessing what it doesnt
 
I thought it was a fairly good analogy to be fair? I agree they aren't the same size, but over the years in Gillingham, the restaurants, bars and shops have dried up and people tend to go to London (or Canterbury) to fill the gap... I wasn't trying to paint a picture of exact comparisons. With regards to 'not knowing' .. I don't know what decent or even chain restaurants are in Sunderland anymore.... that's all.. if people are happy not to have a Carluccios, or something like that, fine...
As to your second point regarding Newcastle. I personally don't want to rival Newcastle at all.... just not have to rely on it. But again, Im more than happy for you to point out what Sunderland has, rather than me (having not lived there for years) guessing what it doesnt


I agree, Gillingham looks like its suffering from being reduced to a commuter town.

(Loved the game out there a while back though)
 
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I thought it was a fairly good analogy to be fair? I agree they aren't the same size, but over the years in Gillingham, the restaurants, bars and shops have dried up and people tend to go to London (or Canterbury) to fill the gap... I wasn't trying to paint a picture of exact comparisons. With regards to 'not knowing' .. I don't know what decent or even chain restaurants are in Sunderland anymore.... that's all.. if people are happy not to have a Carluccios, or something like that, fine...
As to your second point regarding Newcastle. I personally don't want to rival Newcastle at all.... just not have to rely on it. But again, Im more than happy for you to point out what Sunderland has, rather than me (having not lived there for years) guessing what it doesnt
I disagree, your analogy compared Newcastle to one of the biggest cities in the world, and Sunderland to one of it's satellite towns.

There's plenty of restaurants in Sunderland so no one needs to go to Newcastle to eat out. I do go out fairly regularly in Newcastle but it's not because I "need" to though.
 
I disagree, your analogy compared Newcastle to one of the biggest cities in the world, and Sunderland to one of it's satellite towns.

There's plenty of restaurants in Sunderland so no one needs to go to Newcastle to eat out. I do go out fairly regularly in Newcastle but it's not because I "need" to though.
That's fair enough WHD maybes Canterbury would have been better suited as opposed to Newcastle, but that's generally whats started to happen even in some the Kent Towns (although many are trying to redevelop and keep the residents they have spending locally, rather than externally). I could have used a number of towns/cities, and maybes I'd find one that youd agree with ;) Oldham/Manchester or Chesterfield/Sheffield...
And fair enough, if there are a number of decent restaurants in Sunderland ... Im looking forward to coming home. I would have thought youd appreciate I was thinking more of the regeneration of my home town rather than me having a dig at it.. I, like a large number on this board am very proud of our town/city.... I'd just like the best for the area and its population that's all
 
City centre drastically needs some improvement.
It’s looking better round at the old fire station area but the rest of High Street , Fawcett Street and John Street are a f***ing tip.
The railway station has been a clip for as long as I remember.
 

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