Sunniside: Just What now?

Before the financial crash of 2008 paralyzed the real estate market for several years, the Sunniside area was the only Sunderland ARC scheme that was able to receive serious investment. To the council's credit, there some strong positives from what they achieved. The new plaza, the creation of "The Place" (now The Looking Glass restaurant), the regeneration of the old post office, creation of other new office space, the creation of Sunderland Bowl and the Casino were all great acquisitions which articulated a new character to the area in what was previously a long forgotten part of town. However, despite this spur of activity around the late 2000s, little has followed since. The demise of the ARC organisation under the watch of government cuts essentially sent any future plans for the district to the grave. This has left a Sunniside which might have been improved, but has nevertheless not became what the actual development plans aspired it to be.

The development of Sunniside sought to create a thriving hub of small businesses, culture, art and recreation which would transform the neglected district into a wider component of the city centre and expand eastwards. Although what has been done can't really be criticized, it has not been enough on its own to achieve this. This is because the development of Sunniside was designed to occur in tandem with other parts of the city centre. In other words, in order to draw life, investment and activity into it, the area was dependent on other projects and larger projects succeeding as well, which as you know have been marred by constant delays, cancellations and setbacks. It relied on increasing numbers coming to live, work and invest in Sunderland. Of course, on its own it cannot achieve that. This leaves it with only a small concentration of the local demographic whom are willing to use its facilities, immediately stunting its growth potential. It shows. The area continues to remain persistently quieter than the "economic core" of the city centre (Blandford/High Street West/Market Square, etc).

A sizeable proportion of new restaurants and bars which come to Sunniside persistently struggle. Particularly on the large high street units next to the cinema. Whilst Frankie N' Bennies and Nandos have been a success story, I've watched over the years a number of outlets come and go. Big Lukes? Closed. Doner Haus and all the preceding facilities in that unit? Closed. Numerous "world buffets" on the corner one? Closed. "Louie Louie" was the latest casualty, although an avalanche of negative reviews on tripadvisor served to be final nails in the coffin. Nevertheless the point stands, restaurants and bars are not lasting long in this area, because the Sunniside regeneration has not been enough on it own to overturn the fundamental lack of appeal to the city and its longstanding image problem to outsiders. Restaurants and bars in the city centre are competing over the same local crowd whom has limited spending power, minus any serious number of visitors. People don't come from outside Sunderland to dine out/drink and most within the city cannot afford to do so on a regular basis. Therefore, in its current state, Sunniside is unable perform any better than present. It is progress, but it is at best only a 40% functioning development.

So the question is posed, just what now? Having turned all attention towards Siglion and Vaux, which is understandable, the local authorities have all but given up on the development of Sunniside and the east of the city centre. Despite that the regeneration did not go as hoped, this does not mean a white flag should be raised. The council should be attempting to market the area to outsiders and give it a brand identity which distinguishes it as something special. This should not just be one off events such as Sunniside Live, but something consistent, focused and lasting. We need to utilize language, imagery and the senses to create a feeling for the area that makes it attractive. In addition, with the expanse of student accommodation in Sunderland city centre, a considerable bulk of it should be placed in Sunniside. Cafes and art galleries will thrive on growing numbers of students.

As a whole, Sunniside should not be a lost cause. In all things we need ambition, vision and leadership.

Project: Clean up the old Odeon Tower!

As much as my aim is to promote a positive vision of Sunderland to both the wider world and its own residents, I cannot ignore the city's drawbacks and areas of improvement. Whilst without a doubt, I am fundamentally opposed to the cynical attitude manifest by many on wearside and the tendency to talk down absolutely anything, I can only concede on the fact we need to highlight areas of improvement too, in a mature and non-confrontational/political way. Of course, rather than using this blog to rant about the usual controversies or subjects of complaint (as many do), I want to focus instead on realistic and pressing issues which most people can agree on. We might not be in the business of elections or candidates, but we certainly are in the business of pushing for action amongst all the people of Sunderland.

What comes to my mind first is the old Odeon Cinema Tower on 42 Holmeside, Sunderland. Firstly, to be quite frank, Holmeside has become the worst part of Sunderland City Centre. It's badly in need of a makeover. Attempts to regenerate the area were quashed by the 2008 financial crisis. The council had an £800 million deal with developer Thornfield Properties secured to completely rebuild the triangle and create a new skyscraper called "The Spirit of Sunderland". The company collapsed, the rest is history. For an unknown reason, the development itself was also mothballed. Now, the main street of Holmeside looks horrendous. Derelict, decaying buildings and empty shop units galore. It's not a pretty sight.

In the middle of it all sits the historic Odeon cinema building, currently occupied by Mecca bingo. The current building was opened in 1932 under the original name of "Black's Regal Cinema", but has long since closed its door to films. Nevertheless the style and iconography of the building gives it importance. It was a defining element of the area's character and soul. However, much to fashion of the Holmeside itself, the tower's appearance is decaying. The paint is fading, cracking and stained. Worse, the edges and rims of the building have become populated with long and highly visible weeds. It looks awful.

Although it is private property, one must surely question how long we can allow a historic structure to take on such a shabby appearance? As a result, Sunderland Renaissance is going to start promoting a refurbishment of the tower exterior as a project to lobby local groups, organisations and individuals on. As part of resurrecting holmeside, we need to clean up the tower. It needs to be painted, it needs to be weeded.

If we are to have pride for the area, we need to be able to express determination, ambition and respect for the assets we have. The Odeon similar building is not some mossy, weedy aztec like ruin lost and forgotten, it's a symbol of Sunderland life and heritage. It's being neglected, we need to sort it out, prompto!

Why partner with Sunderland Renaissance?

As the Sunderland Renaissance campaign takes shape, we are looking for partner businesses and organisations across the city who will support our cause and promote the theme of a local renaissance. Of course, as a new and upcoming campaign many are likely to be hesitant. Some, as we have experienced in the past, will also choose to sit on the sidelines because of reservations often linked to "political" risks. However, in this brief post we'd like to set out a few reasons as to why partnering with Sunderland Renaissance is a 100% beneficial and win-win opportunity which can only be of benefit to the organisation in question and the area!

• 1) We're not political! It will keep being said that SR is not political. Affiliating with SR does not endorse any political party, platform or candidate: nor do we on any level "act" political towards individuals, groups or organisations. The only thing we endorse is Sunderland itself and a brighter future! We do this in a positive and constructive, than negative way. Because we similarly don't seek funding from sources attached to politics, there is likewise no risk of losing out on other ventures by affiliating.

• 2) Promote the area with your organisation! Affiliation with Sunderland Renaissance allows your organisation to clothe itself in the imagery and enthusiasm of local pride, heritage and rejuvenation. This provides an avenue to better connect with the local population by absorbing local themes, culture and illustrating your broader commitment to the area. As people become more enthusiastic about Sunderland, they concurrently do so towards your organisation do.

• 3) Benefit from a growing social media reach! Although its very early days right now, Sunderland Renaissance have a vibrant and pro-active social media campaign which is growing in momentum every day. We are continually branching out and gaining new followers, all interested in Sunderland. This immediately creates an expanded platform to promote your organisation on top of the setup you have already

• 4) Have your name affiliated with SR's projects! In the coming weeks we hope to begin designing new projects for the area which we work with partners. This provides opportunities for your organisation to participate directly in the rejuvenation of the city and even secure new investment opportunities. 

Sunderland Renaissance: What is the plan?

Sunderland Renaissance was founded earlier this year as a campaign to promote the rejuvenation of the city of Sunderland. To do so, it has sought to facilitate pride in the city's history and heritage, as well as optimism in its future. Starting off by photographing given points around the area and emphasizing the theme of "Sunderland Renaissance", already the project has gained a growing following on social media. We stick true to our word that we are not political, SR has no interest nor purpose in participating in party politics and simply wants to promote a city that everyone can believe in it.

But still some of you might be questioning, what next? It's inevitable of course over time that our reach, awareness following will grow, but that is hardly enough on its own to generate real change in the city. Yes of course as is keep being emphasized on this blog, image, attitude and atmosphere counts. Whilst breaking the cycle of negativity which plagues this city's community is crucial, it must simultaneously be matched with real, tangible change that people can find optimism in, or in other words more than just "talking the talk". There are some exciting things happening around the city right now, but Sunderland Renaissance doesn't just want to stand on the sidelines as a cheerleader or commentator...

Therefore, the next phase of the plan is that Sunderland Renaissance aims to become an active participant and brand in Sunderland's regeneration, doing so through the private, than the public sector. As part of our campaign, we want to be able to work with businesses, investors and enterprises in the city to help better promote them and solidify their success in the area. This may sound daunting an it is a lot of ground to cover, but it ensures an exciting journey which can only accumulate in mutual and win-win prosperity. If you're wondering why we are choosing the "private" and not the "public", we have some thoughts to share:

• Non-Political and non-public (tax) funded: As stated in the first paragraph, we do this because we love Sunderland. We do not want this campaign to become entangled in the city's party politics and are not interested in following the daily bickering. What we are interested in is success, change and momentum, regardless of who is in charge. However from our experiences with the Sunderland Chinatown project, we gained an understanding that any project that requires funding from a public or governmental source becomes equally political. This stopped certain local individuals from endorsing our project, believing that it would stoke anger and competitiveness over sources of funding. From this, SR made a decision that it would not ask for a penny from the public purse. Government cuts make this all the more significant.

• Sunderland needs a stronger private sector: Sunderland's private sector has some success stories and it continues to improve, we have some things to be excited about such as Vaux. However, compared to other cities we continue to lag painfully behind, with many of the area's major business operations being based in the periphery (Nissan, Doxford, Rainton). A quick walk through the East of the City Centre the other day saw swathes and swathes of streets all but abandoned, peppered by empty units. Our city centre desperately needs private sector investment.

So based on, this, what do we plan to do?

• 1) Sunderland Renaissance will be incorporated into a limited company. This is the first step and will happen when the time is right. We will not simply become a campaign, but a private sector actor in order to acquire limited liability rights for potential operations. This may take time to progress, but the stage must be set for future operations

• 2) We will be designing and advocating the projects. This has already been trialed with the Sunderland Chinatown project. We know that many people respond to this with enthusiasm, but nevertheless hesitation. The problem with this project on its own was that it was vague and poses the question "how does one create a chinatown?"- it was too ideational and offered nothing tangible to progress from. Learning the lessons from this, we will be proposing new projects with very specific goals. Similarly as above notes, we won't be creating the impression "public money" is needed either to alleviate political rivalry. This leads to our next point

• 3) We will seek to find private sector partners for these projects. We will seek to work with local businesses and investors to establish these projects. This ideally will be done through the creation of joint ventures and thus the acquisition of private finance if necessary. This can ensure people's liabilities are protected, that taxpayers money is not gambled with and that the city can receive real, tangible investment.

With this outline. We are confident Sunderland Renaissance can establish a real vision for the city's future which not only promotes, but creates real change. Regardless of our own projects, we'd like to pledge our backing to all those who strive to make Sunderland a better place, for all those who choose to run a business in Sunderland and for the efforts of local authorities to reinvent the city's oprimism. Our message is one of good will to all the people of this area, we are not interested in political or funding battles. 

3rd most unpopular city in the UK? It's time to fight Sunderland's image of negativity!

This lunchtime I was deeply disappointed to see the results of a survey from Yougov wherein respondents were asked to rate the favourability of all the cities in Britain. The outcome placed Sunderland as the third most unpopular city in the country with only 30% of participants expressed a positive view, beating only Wolverhampton and Bradford. As much as such a survey is inherently subjective and based only on perceptions than empirical facts, nevertheless it poses as a strong reminder of the enormous challenges which Sunderland's image as an area faces in modern Britain. There is a lot of work to be done in order to fight this.

Sunderland's image problem is long lasting and entrenched. It is made worse by the fact that many locals themselves do not challenge this pessimistic view, but actively embrace it. The city's socio-economic decline in the 1980s and 1990s has created both an representation and culture of deep abiding pessimism. In this era, everything the city was and stood for was destroyed by radical economic change which did not adequately compensate for the losses. This severely damaged the spirit of the community, creating an atmosphere of hopelessness, defeatism and cynicism. Simultaneously, the city's woes became an engraven part of southern imagery about a grim, decaying and desolate post-industrial North which was best avoided. Thus together, both locally and nationally, the stage was set for the city's image to become ultimately toxified.

But an image is an image. I'd always like to remind people that images do not always exist in tandem with reality. Because of the trauma of the past, the local culture of pessimism has persisted stubbornly, likewise nor have we done enough to remarket the city to outsiders. But in both cases, beyond the imagery people are now failing to recognize what the area has to offer. Far from being a post-industrial wasteland, our city possesses some stunning scenes of natural beauty, from incredible rejuvenated victorian era parks to an outstanding seafront. The city centre, although it has seen much better days, continues to decorated by historic architecture and legacies of the past. All around are rich places of historical interest, appealing to the mind and the senses.

What is the truth? Sunderland has challenges, we hope to better. But part of reviving this area is to come to a solemn appreciation of that which we do have The culture of pessimism leads people to simply to struggle to care. A new development such as Keel Square is simply laughed off with charged cynicism, than appreciated for what it means for our area. We do not paint a good advert for ourselves, this is what has to change first. People should get behind the local authorities in their efforts to promote the area through schemes such as Sunderland Culture, rather than reveling in petty rumours and bitter gossip. I understand that older generations are particularly skeptical because they have lived and known a town which was much more prosperous than it is today. They might live in a shadow of what Sunderland was, but that does not mean they shouldn't be passionate about Sunderland.

As a whole, I believe the survey is misrepresenting of our city, but I grasp where that image came from and also what needs to be done to be fix it. I believe pride and belief in Sunderland as a city is what's needed to drive it forwards. We have to battle this negativity and scribe a new counter-narrative as to how this area is understood. This is why I created Sunderland Renaissance.

Pennywell's Promise of Prosperity

Today during one of my long adventurous walks around Sunderland (while I still have the time and opportunity) I decided to head through one of the city's more "notorious" suburbs, the postwar housing paradise of Pennywell. It's a suburb which has gained a sticky image for being supposedly one of Sunderland's worst. It has been constantly the butt of jokes and mockery over the years due to its association with poverty and deprivation. But do things have to stay the way they are forever? Absolutely not. Human minds are stubborn, images and discourses linger on for long even if the occurrences which created them were exaggerated, or in some way misleading. Now I am not saying Pennywell has not been one of Sunderland's more downtrodden areas, if you do your research the empirical evidence doesn't lie regarding this. However, the point is, as is true of Sunderland Renaissance as a whole, that we area to dream and aspire to achieve a greater society. Every area has potential just waiting to be unlocked, it is how envision and utilize that what truly counts.

So through my brief and uneventful trope through Pennywell, what thoughts came to my mind? First came the aspirations of future change. I looked at the shopping area situated in the centre of the suburb, I also observed the place called "Pennywell Business Centre" hid away behind a locked metal gate. Sadly I didn't get any good photo angles for that, but it did make me think. What if, in the future, Pennywell, Sunderland's most infamous suburb, could evolve to become a hub of business, enterprise and commerce? You're probably laughing at the idea of that, but why not? Why can't an area rejuvenate itself and take on a new mantle? Referring to its history simply isn't sufficient as an objection to real change.

Nevertheless, even for Pennywell as it is now, the quiet, sunny and empty evening I spent walking through there gave me the opportunity.to  reflect on the area in a different light, for my experience did not conform to the brutal stereotypes of the area which have been a staple of everyday banter and thought in Sunderland. Whilst without a doubt the area is not perfect and nor should I deny its problems, similarly its worth reminding ourselves that not everything is as bad as it seems. Before anything better comes of course, first we have to overcome the abject negativity and lazy thinking which hinders our thought in certain areas; in the culture of Sunderland, this pattern of thought is rampant.

I believe Pennywell has a promise of a better future, a much more prosperous one. How that turns out is purely what we make of it and how willing we are to challenge the stereotypes and prejudices of the past with a vision of tomorrow. In  aspiring to create a better Sunderland, we first have to learn to appreciate Sunderland in more prideful and optimistic ways. This is why I have created Sunderland Renaissance, that we might be able to transform the psychology of this area for good. A curious walk through Pennywell may seem insignificant or even bizarre, yet it is enough to break down the barriers which hold us back.