Exactly ! Till the end !
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SOL expansion
- Thread starter Father Larry Duff
- Start date
AndrewP
Striker
Maybe, but we already have better conference facilities than those venues.
Wakoro
Winger
That's the Sunderland spirit! We are so beaten down as a post-industrial town that we have zero positivity or ambition, we automatically believe we cannot better ourselves and that nothing good ever happens to this dirty old town.
I moved away for uni and lost that mindset by being around positive, ambitious, and can-do people. The only thing that holds anyone or anything back from moving up is negative mental attitude and lack of confidence.
oddbod
Striker
is it on the planning website? if not how do you know this for sure?
DiscopantsSoL
Midfield
This is Homes Miller Architects Planning Statement for the new South Stand Extension which is added within the clubs objection to the Sheepfolds Development along with the cross sectional plans.
A Pre application was submitted to the Council in July.
Holmes Miller
11th August 2025
1
Sunderland AFC – Stadium of Light
South Stand Expansion – Planning Statement
My name is Robert Kennedy. I am a Director of Holmes Miller Architects, a firm that specialises in stadia and sports venue design amongst other things. I was part of the team that designed the Stadium of Light in the 1990s and the North Stand extension that was approved in 1999 and opened a couple of years later. More recently I led the team that designed the proposals to redevelop the South Stand, the details of which were submitted to Sunderland City Council as a pre-application enquiry on 25 July 2026.
From its inception, the Stadium of Light was conceived as a modern arena designed to amplify crowd energy and passion. The bowl-shaped design was intentionally developed to create an intense matchday atmosphere and to allow for phased expansion, particularly through the introduction of upper tiers.
With increasing demand for matchday tickets and only the West Stand featuring two tiers, the decision was taken to expand the North Stand. This project successfully delivered an upper tier and additional facilities, meeting the club’s ambition at that time to increase capacity for home supporters. Naturally, attention then turned to the South Stand, with initial proposals developed and finalised for planning following the completion of the North Stand expansion.
Whilst planning permission for the South Stand was granted, the development was not pursued at the time, although the expansion of the South Stand has remained a long-term ambition of the club.
In 2025, Sunderland AFC re-engaged architects Holmes Miller to revisit the South Stand expansion with a renewed brief—one that reflects not only the club’s evolving needs but also its civic responsibility. The new design aims to enhance the stadium’s relationship with the city, particularly in light of improved access from the city centre via the pedestrian bridge.
A key component of this vision was the creation of a vibrant public square next to the Stadium, immediately to the south — an active and welcoming space for supporters and visitors alike, forming a natural terminus for the city-to-stadium route. Unfortunately, whilst this element of the scheme was discussed with the planners, the concept did not gain traction.
Holmes Miller’s current proposal sets out a public realm strategy that ought to be able to integrate with the upcoming Sheepfolds development to the south, providing that development was to accord with the Riverside Sunderland Supplementary Planning Document. This area should act as a buffer between the new South Stand and future mixed-use developments, while also offering
a dynamic, interactive commercial zone that aligns with wider regeneration plans.
The South Stand expansion includes a fully glazed upper façade, providing panoramic views towards Sheepfolds from the rear of the new stand, across the new public square, the bridge, and towards the city centre. The design includes facilities that are accessible to the wider community, featuring a flexible first-floor function suite and a large, ground-floor marketplace with potential for spill-out activity into the adjacent square.
Appendix 1 is a drawing which was submitted as part of the Club’s pre-application enquiry showing ‘sketch views’ of the proposed new South Stand in comparison with the existing stand together with the public realm area as envisaged.
From a construction perspective, buildability is a key consideration. Delivering a major engineering project within an active stadium environment—and a city centre context—requires careful planning. Maintaining a live venue on matchdays throughout the construction period is essential, with crowd safety remaining the highest priority.
To this end, the construction strategy includes the provision of structural crash decks. Crowd safety is the prime consideration during the construction phase and so with this live stadium scenario these temporary works, consisting of steel and concrete tunnel structures along the south elevation, allow for the safe movement of the crowd through designated routes during the build phase; with construction activities resuming between events. This approach has been proven successful in similar high-profile engineering projects.
To facilitate safe and efficient construction, a temporary working area of approximately 30 metres in depth from the edge of the proposed South Stand development will be required. This zone will accommodate cranage, equipment, and access routes, and is considered critical to the successful delivery of the scheme. Such arrangements always present organisational challenges, but with an apartment block located so close by, those challenges whilst manageable would be greatly increased. Furthermore, the impacts on the amenity of residents during the construction phase (traffic noise, construction noise, dust, lighting) would be massive.
2
Relationship with the Sheepfolds Development
According to current council proposals, the Sheepfolds development includes a 25m-high mixed-use commercial and residential block located within 23m of the proposed South Stand expansion (this distance reducing at higher levels due to the cantilever design of the new stand). Appendix 2 attached comprises
two drawings which provide an indication of the close relationship between the proposed mixed use block, both in plan and section form.
This proximity presents several planning and technical challenges for both developments.
Locating residential accommodation so close to the stadium’s principal public-facing elevation will almost certainly result in operational and amenity conflicts. Matchdays bring high volumes of pedestrian traffic and increased noise, whilst the proposed function facilities would be used at other times, including evenings. These activities would be likely to impact future residents in two main ways – noise emanating from the function suite in the evenings, and in particular light spillage from the extensive glazed areas that are a key design feature of the scheme. In this latter regard, lighting and glazing are used in modern stadia design to provide a welcoming ambiance and to accentuate design features. Without them, stands remain functional, but often bland and drab.
Similarly, the construction and operational viability of the South Stand expansion will be affected by the neighbouring development. While it is technically possible to build in close proximity to residential structures, it will likely increase construction complexity, particularly in terms of access, cranage, and site logistics.
Whether the development of the two areas proceeds concurrently or sequentially, cross-party collaboration between each development area will be essential. Shared objectives must prioritise public safety, accessibility, and minimal disruption, ensuring the successful delivery of both schemes within a cohesive urban framework.
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oddbod
Striker
Reading the bones of this i think the club is just getting their towels down early and it is not a sign that they are going to extend the south stand within the next five years as the houses interfering with the south stand are likely not going to be built until then....of course if they are going to build multi use function suite open most days to late evening nimbi's wouldn't want that close to their houses!...
lets hope common sense becomes the order of the day and the club and the council create some sort of concrete agreement that keeps every body happy!The government has new housing targets for this parliament so they are trying to shoe in as many houses as possible....So i guess the government agencies will side with the council if they want to proceed with the new design for more houses..therefore the more objections they get the better! TBH if i was kld i would get it built asap as im sure there will be limitations to the design if they don't and the costs will be higher!
Wearson
Winger
AndrewP
Striker
It's just a fact and it's true of pretty much any city and nothing to do with Sunderland really. Well done on uni.
ron
Central Defender
Remember when the new road bridge was first being designed and comments in the echo were why do we want fancy bridges, that's for them up the road.
These fellas are getting ahead of themselves!
Grumpy Old Man
Striker
The seats are all under the overhang of the upper tier. The away fans have pretty much zero effect. Though that may not be common knowledge. There's no restrictions on view from that, by the way.
Weststand
Central Defender
taking out mobility, away support and access issues, would you rather your vantage point of the game (as in premium seat) be on the front 5 rows of the North upper or the current position?
Grumpy Old Man
Striker
£120 is the match price I'm paying as a season card holder including a discount as an ex BCB card holder. What you're suggesting makes it cheaper than the full season card per match price
Ohnonotagain
Striker
You don’t get one without the other though.
A 60,000 seater stadium in the Championship isn’t really a good idea.
Success on the pitch attracts players. Good players attract more fans.
Good facilities and bigger crowds attract bigger sponsors, more television exposure.
I suppose it’s a balancing act unless you have copious amounts of moolah.
And they’re doing everything they can on the pitch. A 45k falling to pieces stadium isn’t a good idea either no matter what division.
Wearson
Winger
No you don’t, so in effect the additional seats are free, paid for relatively quickly by the corporate and conference business.
No additional seats = loss of income when the demand is there.
Which option makes sense?
I’ve never sat there so don’t know and I’ve been a season ticket holder since it opened. If I was looking to pay top dollar I wouldn’t want away fans above me overhang or not.
Wrenthorpe Mackem
Striker
If that's the case they won't change it nor should they. But it is a bit pricey. I was thinking about it for a one off re me and missus who is not a footie fan but don't think it is worth it.
Football Dinosaur
Striker
People need to realise nothing is impossible.
planning has been posted here previously. If your asking if I've checked myself. The answer would be the same as if I asked you I guess.
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AndrewP
Striker
Except some things are. We already have banqueting facilities anyway. Any extension is going to be primarily for match days and the odd concert.
