Sunderland announces new hotel as part of Seaburn regeneration

Seaburn seafront.

Sunderland City Council has announced plans for a new 40-bed hotel in Seaburn as it ramps up its regeneration of the city’s seafront.

The council has agreed terms with the North East-based hospitality specialist The Inn Collection Group for the three-storey ‘pub with rooms’, which will go before the council’s planning committee next month.

The proposed inn will sit next to the proposed STACK Seaburn development, a new leisure hub made of repurposed shipping containers, which was announced earlier this year.

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said the Inn Collection Group’s interest in Seaburn shows confidence in the council’s plans to build a new leisure-led development at the seaside resort.

Cllr Miller said: ‘Seaburn is the jewel in Sunderland’s crown, and a place that both residents and visitors can enjoy. We want to enhance its natural charm and ensure it becomes a destination-seaside.

‘The STACK proposals were a huge step forward. Add to that the renovation work that will be going ahead to our stunning old buildings on Seaburn promenade, and you can see that we are really beginning to deliver a transformational programme for the area.

‘This additional accommodation will complement the Grand Hotel and Roker Hotel, and will contribute to the vibrant seafront location we know Seaburn can be. We are delighted that The Inn Collection Group recognises the vast potential of the area.’

It is hoped that the inn will add to Sunderland’s economy and accommodation offer for visitors as the city’s reinvention as a tourist destination.

According to council figures released last year, visitors to Sunderland increased 6% year-on-year last year, with tourism spend also increasing by 5%.

If planning consent is given, work on the inn is expected to start by the end of the year, with the building set to open by December 2020.

Sean Donkin, managing director of The Inn Collection Group, said: ‘The Seaburn development, alongside STACK, will bolster Sunderland’s economy, in terms of job creation – both from positions generated during the construction phase and by permanent full-time roles created by the new inn.

‘It will fill a gap in the market for visitor accommodation, encouraging people to extend their stay and spending in Sunderland and provide local people with a new place to eat and drink, in a first-class location.’

Earlier this year, Sunderland received an £820,000 grant from the government’s Coastal Communities Fund to help regenerate under-used and historic buildings along the Seaburn and Roker promenade.

The plans will see Seaburn’s former Bay Shelter, an old tram shelter and a former toilet block turned into cafés and restaurants, while Seaburn Camp’s infrastructure will be upgraded to make it better for touring caravans.

The work forms part of Sunderland City Council’s £1.5bn investment in development projects which aim to regenerate Sunderland’s seaside, city centre and residential areas.

Photo Credit – SpaceMartin