How the Vaux Site could have become a giant Tesco, and what it would have meant for Sunderland

The Vaux Site is going from strength to strength. Under the brand name “Riverside Sunderland” long awaited progress has been made with the creation of multiple office blocks and the new City Hall, while work has resumed on new apartments, as well as a new footbridge which will connect it to Sheepfolds. This all comes complimentary to the progress made around Keel Square.

Sunderland residents have waited over two decades to see the fruits of this former Brewery finally come into being, and while some continue to moan about it, it’s time we remember exactly why it all took so long, and for that matter the alternative future that may have awaited it.

It was following the closure and demolition of Vaux Breweries in 1999 that Sunderland Arc, a now defunct local development company, set out their vision for the site. Although quite different to what it is becoming today, it was nonetheless highly ambitious and designed with the goal of regenerating Sunderland City Centre.

However, much to the dismay of the council, the site was then purchased by Tesco who proposed building a mega supermarket on the land, which they planned to call “The Vaux”. They said their proposals would have brought 1000 jobs into Sunderland. This led to a ten year legal battle with the Council, who after blocking the plans, argued the supermarket would ruin the city’s prime development space.

Tesco subsequently lost the court case, and in 2010, relinquished the land. Instead, they opted instead to create a Tesco Extra, slightly smaller than the original proposal, in Monkwearmouth, in place of the former bowling alley. However, although the council had obtained the land back from the supermarket giant, the financial impact of the great recession meant that it would be several more years before work started on the site. By 2015, these deals and plans were finalised.

There have been more upsets along the way, including the collapse of Carillon, the original contractor, the COVID pandemic, as well as Tolent in 2022. Yet finally, 23 years later, Vaux is on the up, and is there any real reason to complain about the work being done? We say no, there isn’t.

Sunderland is now experiencing the biggest spree of substantial development since it became a city. Despite the country’s economic climate in general being poor, there are many reasons to be optimistic about our city.

A mega Tesco supermarket, however, might have killed Sunderland City Centre as we knew it. If shops are struggling now, what would have happened then? Our city deserved better than that, and rightly so.