Blog by Sunderland arc Chief Executive, David Walker

Today has marked a very positive step for Sunderland and our plans for the Vaux site.
An agreement has now been reached in principle for Regional Development Agency One North East to buy the site from owners Tesco.

We have always envisaged that Vaux will become a thriving business district at the heart of the city centre. It will provide the customers for the rest of the city centre and drive the demand for hotels, new retail and leisure.

We recognise people’s frustrations over the time it has taken to get this far and we can’t promise that there will be diggers on site tomorrow. It will take eight to 10 years to develop out once the economy improves.
Times are tight both in the public and private sector but we are working hard behind the scenes with our partners to ensure that we are ready to implement our plans as soon as there are signs of economic recovery.