The river should be dammed up there imo, a couple of locks would do it the stretch upstream from QA bridge to Durham City would be a fantastic development if managed properly .
Personally if possible i would like to see a wear across the river under the town bridge to keep the level near high tide, would open up riverside area for watersports and cafes/ bars without the smell you can get at low tide.
And the walks up and down the river on both sides could be upgraded. Just up from the The Wearmouth Bridge on the south side are cliffs with a large grassy area that could be developed for play parks, ice cream parlours etc. and rock climbing. I mean how many cities have cliffs in the middle of them along a river, it’s sinful that it’s never been made more of.
Plans for the training centre on Sheepfolds have been submitted. This is up the top next to the SoL. The old scrapyard place I think...
To add to this , I understand that the council are insisting that their red line for joining a combined authority is the completion of the southern loop of the metro, linking Washington into both Sunderland and Newcastle. I gather they are playing hardball and we could see the line completed before 2030.
If the Metro still exists by then... The way Nexus are crying poverty about it and trying to squeeze money out of the government and hike up fares it makes you wonder. But good if the council are playing hard ball, we've been taken advantage of and pissed about for far too long. I was told years ago the the TWDC meant "The Wear Doesn't Count".
Yeah, I used to work in Newcastle, you always felt that money was sucked into there at the expense of other areas, but some were too blind to see it. Stuff like that preposterous "Exhibition of the North" had massive funding, yet was a total flop but no one talks about it. If it had been a success you'd never hear the end of it (just like the way they went on about the Tall ships race for years). And that's despite all the government grants given to it to stage it.
The biggest thing it's got going for it is the nightlife, it's got nee coastline, no real 'historic' sights etc. Not compared to us or it's neighbours. Northumberland has some great places, Newcastle is minging.
The best historic sites can be seen in a 20 minute walk from the station. The station itself (designed by George Stephenson and grade II listed), St Nicks Cathedral, the castle keep, then up Grey Street to Grey's Monument. That's about it.
Wouldn't it be funny if this was the Saudi "investment in the reejun" that the ****heads up the road were banging on about
Sorry but no it’s all been organised by Sunderland City Council, who appear to have got their act together over the last couple of years.
Yes, and good to see after decades of inertia. Some government money in there too. About time. Mind, nowt will stop those idiots in toy keffiyehs, pretending to themselves that these and any other improvements are Saudi funded, and proof that selling their club to the devil was worth it.
The council had to stop a Tesco shed from going there first then buy it off a Tesco. That took most of the time , then the crash hit and all funding dried up. It was about five or six years before anybody was willing to put any money up,, three years getting the strategic plan sorted then about four years ago they started work. In that period we have had the pandemic. So it has not been plain sailing. If the council had listen to those who just said let Tesco build their big superstore then none of these developments would have been possible. Over past six years the council have been buying up the properties in the middle of town to make the plan viable. As to the Sheepfolds, they have played hardball made fair offers for the land and said that the other option was compulsory purchase which would have given the owners less. Basically since the new leadership took over they have got on with things and not allowed anybody to play silly buggers with the city and its residents.