Drinking in Sunderland city centre

[TheWanderer]

I think Ithe problem with a lot of people from Sunderland is the self loathing, quick to pour cold water on anything in the city.

I no way as bad as people make out and better than the vast majority of places around

…and the constant comparison to our closest neighbours Newcastle. It’s never going to be as good simply down to the fact it’s the regional capital.

Sunderland in comparison to all the other towns and cities in this country is nowhere as bad as what many make out.

 

[bobster999]

The thing is though you have to look at it from a view point if you have shoppers during the day, then they can go for food during the day or a few drinks at the same bars to give them money so they can survive in the evening. It's very hard to keep a bar open from only being busy from 7pm - 12am on a Friday and Saturday as it's dead the rest of the week.

The same people who had a few pints might also enjoy the last few hours in Sunderland go home get changed and think fuck it let's go back out and then you have a busier centre.

Why would I be concerned about what shoppers do if I went somewhere for a night out? I feel your points are going off on a tangent

 

[tunstallhill]

with the success of stack over seaburn, would there be no appetite to try and tempt them to expand and open one at Crowtree? its crying out for something like that. right next to the theatre, the peacock and dun cow, the fire station, the new auditorium, and relatively central from park lane metro and park lane bars and the low row end of town, and right next to keel sqaure and the new vaux developments. its the golden jigsaw peice in the puzzle for me. get that site right, and the rest will all click into place

theres some class places in town, but its all just a little bit too much dotted around with nowt in between. i like proven pizza and the new pool place, i like sunniside, i like deptford and the vaults and the isis, i like fitsies and chaplins and the ivy, i like the peacock and dun cow and that end of town, it just all feels a bit haphazard to anyone who doens't know the town

 

[Osklen]

with the success of stack over seaburn, would there be no appetite to try and tempt them to expand and open one at Crowtree? its crying out for something like that. right next to the theatre, the peacock and dun cow, the fire station, the new auditorium, and relatively central from park lane metro and park lane bars and the low row end of town, and right next to keel sqaure and the new vaux developments. its the golden jigsaw peice in the puzzle for me. get that site right, and the rest will all click into place

theres some class places in town, but its all just a little bit too much dotted around with nowt in between. i like proven pizza and the new pool place, i like sunniside, i like deptford and the vaults and the isis, i like fitsies and chaplins and the ivy, i like the peacock and dun cow and that end of town, it just all feels a bit haphazard to anyone who doens't know the town

I think that this issue in that there are good things in the city but they just aren’t connected or visible at times.

as for stack I doubt they’d come now as it would just canabalise Seaburn trade unless they came up with a different concept. Their preferred location was crowtree and they were apparently due to submit a planning application but as others have said the surrounding traders didn’t want it as it would take away from their business. Obviously putting it at Seaburn is worse in many respects as takes people out of the city centre all together. Hopefully the council will come forward with a decent proposal for the crowtree site.

 

[Stubbs ftm]

People who want to stay out longer than 3am perhaps?

Only 4 places in Town which a license for longer than 3am.. Trilogy, Indie, Seven and Jungle Bar... Though if you're gonna gan in Jungle Bar after 3 bring a gumshield, makes the Blandford look like a fine establishment.

What and where is jungle bar?

 

[tunstallhill]

I think that this issue in that there are good things in the city but they just aren’t connected or visible at times.

as for stack I doubt they’d come now as it would just canabalise Seaburn trade unless they came up with a different concept. Their preferred location was crowtree and they were apparently due to submit a planning application but as others have said the surrounding traders didn’t want it as it would take away from their business. Obviously putting it at Seaburn is worse in many respects as takes people out of the city centre all together. Hopefully the council will come forward with a decent proposal for the crowtree site.

Hopefully aye. Anything but more office space. This site is absolutely critical to the city in my opinion. Really difficult to attract private investment I imagine. We don't need a gig venue, or a cinema, or swimming pool or ice rink or more generic restaurants and bars, it's a really difficult one.

Personally I don't think another stack like venture would effect the seaburn one too much..it's always rammed over there anyway, and it's a canny trek for South siders. I think the town could handle two of them

 

[Chatty83]

Tbf though there is a lot being build in Sunderland and it isn't gonna change overnight. Look at how much better both Sunniside and Keel Square look compared to before.

Sure they need more work doing on them and more businesses to fill up spaces there to help grow it but it's much improved.

You have about five or six hotels build recently or in development and they haven't just built them for the fun of it. They are obviously clued up on things that are happening in the city and see it as an investment for when it becomes more attractive.

They are developing the Riverside, new civic centre, housing, offices, bars, restaurants etc which should mean that a lot more people are living or working in the city centre and thus should help make it busier. New offices in the Gilbridge, They fucked up when they built Doxford International on the edge of town because at that time if they had built it in the city centre we'd now be twenty years ahead of where we are now. But that's gone and they seem to be learning from it at least.

Loads of new houses gonna be built on the Riverside along with a science centre.

The old Annabell's and Idols plot is going to be turned into a massive library. The Anthenaum (???) Building into a gallery, the Fire Station a venue, a business unit on Mackie's corner, a business centre on John's Street.

You also have The Cooper Rose reopening, a few new nightlife spits (Bud Bigalows reverbed both up and down stairs, Revolution, Varsity building as a few new places) Pop Recs is opening up soon too.

Loads of stuff going on, that's not including all the work that's being done on all the estates, new housing all over the shop, schools, business parks, shopping sites, another bridge, etc etc.

Hopefully the end result is a link round the town centre, the Riverside and across the seafront. At that point it could be better than Newcastle, especially in summer with the seafront.

Plus Sunderland are on the up and crowds will go up if we start moving back up the league's wilhichnis always a massive boost to a city centre.

 

[Zimba]

Why would I be concerned about what shoppers do if I went somewhere for a night out? I feel your points are going off on a tangent

It doesn't really, but the post you quoted was already on a tangent way from bars and was more Sunderland in general.

Hopefully aye. Anything but more office space. This site is absolutely critical to the city in my opinion. Really difficult to attract private investment I imagine. We don't need a gig venue, or a cinema, or swimming pool or ice rink or more generic restaurants and bars, it's a really difficult one.

Personally I don't think another stack like venture would effect the seaburn one too much..it's always rammed over there anyway, and it's a canny trek for South siders. I think the town could handle two of them

Might be a weird response I'd kinda like if they built nothing there. Just make a nice open space for events and have stuff on throughout the year.

Winter: Lady Boys of Bangkok (or similar)
Spring: Circus (or similar)
Summer: Fun fair, car show, farmers market, other random stuff, few little concerts like Times Square maybe.
Halloween: Scare maze(s)
November: Fireworks display
Christmas: Christmas market

Little unique events like that to drag people in. We don't really have anything like it in the North East since the rest of the large towns / cities are limited in space. Be quite cheap to do aswell and Roker Lights shows people are willing to come.

 

[tunstallhill]

It doesn't really, but the post you quoted was already on a tangent way from bars and was more Sunderland in general.



Might be a weird response I'd kinda like if they built nothing there. Just make a nice open space for events and have stuff on throughout the year.

Winter: Lady Boys of Bangkok (or similar)
Spring: Circus (or similar)
Summer: Fun fair, car show, farmers market, other random stuff, few little concerts like Times Square maybe.
Halloween: Scare maze(s)
November: Fireworks display
Christmas: Christmas market

Little unique events like that to drag people in. We don't really have anything like it in the North East since the rest of the large towns / cities are limited in space. Be quite cheap to do aswell.

If it was done to a really high standard then I'd agree, but usually these one off events in town are a total let down and not well attended at all.

I don't know the answer, but if the cinema wasn't down high street, I'd say cinema and bowling alley with casino and giant pub with big screens and all that nonsense would have been ideal

 

[Osklen]

Hopefully aye. Anything but more office space. This site is absolutely critical to the city in my opinion. Really difficult to attract private investment I imagine. We don't need a gig venue, or a cinema, or swimming pool or ice rink or more generic restaurants and bars, it's a really difficult one.

Personally I don't think another stack like venture would effect the seaburn one too much..it's always rammed over there anyway, and it's a canny trek for South siders. I think the town could handle two of them

I agree it’s a pivotal site in the city and needs to be leisure or food and beverage based. They can’t just build office and resi as the staff and residents will also but into the wider city not just the buildings.

i think you could get away with a music venue but on a different scale to Fire Station, but would need to also cater for a more a varied audience. I think a food hall type venue like stack would work but probably will need to be a different operator.

ideally the cinema would have been located in this part of the city centre, to work alongside empire, fire station and would help the bridges as well. However whether it’s worth the cost of relocating it to this part of the city from where it is I’m not sure. Perhaps a more boutique / independent style cinema Everyman or Tyneside cinema style cinema may work but they are only normally very small so would have to work alongside another offer.

 

[tunstallhill]

I agree it’s a pivotal site in the city and needs to be leisure or food and beverage based. They can’t just build office and resi as the staff and residents will also but into the wider city not just the buildings.

i think you could get away with a music venue but on a different scale to Fire Station, but would need to also cater for a more a varied audience. I think a food hall type venue like stack would work but probably will need to be a different operator.

ideally the cinema would have been located in this part of the city centre, to work alongside empire, fire station and would help the bridges as well. However whether it’s worth the cost of relocating it to this part of the city from where it is I’m not sure. Perhaps a more boutique / independent style cinema Everyman or Tyneside cinema style cinema may work but they are only normally very small so would have to work alongside another offer.

That's the thing, I don't think a single use venue is the answer. The stack and the likes, like The Gate in Newcastle, are very modern and multi use

 

[Zimba]

If it was done to a really high standard then I'd agree, but usually these one off events in town are a total let down and not well attended at all.

I don't know the answer, but if the cinema wasn't down high street, I'd say cinema and bowling alley with casino and giant pub with big screens and all that nonsense would have been ideal

Yeah agreed tbh, don't see why they couldn't though they do Roker Lights and the airshow well to give credit. Be interesting to see if the lot who done the Christmas market in Newcastle would do it since they've been pretty much told to do one by Newcastle City Council 'because of Covid' when it was blatantly because of the Grainger Market moaning. Believe their Nottingham one is done on a similar area and is always popular.

 

[Osklen]

That's the thing, I don't think a single use venue is the answer. The stack and the likes, like The Gate in Newcastle, are very modern and multi use

I’m not sure about the gate personally as it just feels like a shopping centre for pubs, but something like that and done by quality operator (easier said than done) is where we need to get to somehow.

 

[1more]

Hopefully aye. Anything but more office space. This site is absolutely critical to the city in my opinion. Really difficult to attract private investment I imagine. We don't need a gig venue, or a cinema, or swimming pool or ice rink or more generic restaurants and bars, it's a really difficult one.

Personally I don't think another stack like venture would effect the seaburn one too much..it's always rammed over there anyway, and it's a canny trek for South siders. I think the town could handle two of them

I live in Ryhope and to get to the Stack is a £30+ round trip in a taxi. Certainly puts me off

I'm all for one opening on Crowtree

 

[tunstallhill]

I live in Ryhope and to get to the Stack is a £30+ round trip in a taxi. Certainly puts me off

I'm all for one opening on Crowtree

Aye we're all from ryhope / silky / grangey, it's very rare we'd all go over there for a night out. But it's always busy by the sounds of it and I'm glad of it

 

[Chatty83]

There's loads of things they can build tbh, I mean surely a few of the chain restaraunts will want to have a blast. No Burger King or KFC currently, you would think either of those wouldn't mind another site especially the former that probably would have benefitted from a move before the train station was closed for redevelopment. I mean I could live without them but most cities have and need these type places. Panda shit down as well so there's probably an opening for some form of all you can eat buffet place (or a few) in the right location. That was always busy as well.

Arcade area for the kids would probably do well again if placed with other shopping facilities.

Student theatre like the alpahabetti in Newcastle could be good, a smaller cinema that plays classic films could do well also but would probably have to be priced and marketed well. Could maybes do those things in conjunction tbf.

Could also replace the leisure centre with well errm a nother leisure centre - the old one was a bit haggard by the end but lots could be done in a new one - swimming, gym, martial arts/wrestling, go carting, five aside/bubble football, etc all good and helps attract more kids, stag dos, party's etc

Could look at the likes of an aquarium, different museum/gallery, snow globe/indoor skislope,

Endless possibilities really but obviously they need people to invest in them to do so. That gets easier with better infrastructure and attractions already there.

 

[Zimba]

There's loads of things they can build tbh, I mean surely a few of the chain restaraunts will want to have a blast. No Burger King or KFC currently, you would think either of those wouldn't mind another site especially the former that probably would have benefitted from a move before the train station was closed for redevelopment. I mean I could live without them but most cities have and need these type places. Panda shit down as well so there's probably an opening for some form of all you can eat buffet place (or a few) in the right location. That was always busy as well.

Arcade area for the kids would probably do well again if placed with other shopping facilities.

Student theatre like the alpahabetti in Newcastle could be good, a smaller cinema that plays classic films could do well also but would probably have to be priced and marketed well. Could maybes do those things in conjunction tbf.

Could also replace the leisure centre with well errm a nother leisure centre - the old one was a bit haggard by the end but lots could be done in a new one - swimming, gym, martial arts/wrestling, go carting, five aside/bubble football, etc all good and helps attract more kids, stag dos, party's etc

Could look at the likes of an aquarium, different museum/gallery, snow globe/indoor skislope,

Endless possibilities really but obviously they need people to invest in them to do so. That gets easier with better infrastructure and attractions already there.

Isn't there a KFC next to where Burger King used to be further up near Greggs on Market Square.

 

[EDGE]

Isn't there a KFC next to where Burger King used to be further up near Greggs on Market Square.

Just reopened.

 

[Boris Bear]

The most impressive new(ish) food and drink concept I've been to is Bonnie & Wild in Edinburgh ( Bonnie & Wild | Scottish Marketplace | Edinburgh, Scotland ) and it would be super easy to replicate, either on the crowtree site or in somewhere like Jackie Whites.

 

[Osklen]

There's loads of things they can build tbh, I mean surely a few of the chain restaraunts will want to have a blast. No Burger King or KFC currently, you would think either of those wouldn't mind another site especially the former that probably would have benefitted from a move before the train station was closed for redevelopment. I mean I could live without them but most cities have and need these type places. Panda shit down as well so there's probably an opening for some form of all you can eat buffet place (or a few) in the right location. That was always busy as well.

Arcade area for the kids would probably do well again if placed with other shopping facilities.

Student theatre like the alpahabetti in Newcastle could be good, a smaller cinema that plays classic films could do well also but would probably have to be priced and marketed well. Could maybes do those things in conjunction tbf.

Could also replace the leisure centre with well errm a nother leisure centre - the old one was a bit haggard by the end but lots could be done in a new one - swimming, gym, martial arts/wrestling, go carting, five aside/bubble football, etc all good and helps attract more kids, stag dos, party's etc

Could look at the likes of an aquarium, different museum/gallery, snow globe/indoor skislope,

Endless possibilities really but obviously they need people to invest in them to do so. That gets easier with better infrastructure and attractions already there.

aquarium would be a difficult one I suspect - is it a profitable venture? If delivered it would be better down by the river or coast?

indoor ski slope has been tried a few times and I think Middlesbrough are the latest to look at it or were, though again seems to have gone quiet.

I disagree with a leisure centre as I just don’t think kids use them like we did. This may because that there hasn’t been that type of leisure complex built for a while mind you. But again a leisure centre will be very much a local attraction. If one was built probably better on Holmeside.

You also have to consider that some of the uses suggested may end up in the bridges as they are likely to need to also dramatically change its tenant mix, as its probably be too reliant on retail so the like of KFC/Burger King, Arcade may go into some of their spaces.