The £13m transformation of a disused area of land in Sunderland is gathering pace, with the first buildings topping-out this month.

Eastgate Point, a 125,000sq ft industrial development that will stand on the former Littlewoods site in Hendon, is rapidly advancing, with steelwork in place for five of the buildings, three of which have reached their full height, as the first phase of the development hurtles towards completion. 

Developed in partnership between Sunderland headquartered Building Design [Northern] (BDN) and contractor Hewitson Group, the new scheme – which will deliver 19 industrial units of varying sizes – housed within nine – along with a drive-to coffee shop and streetscape improvements – will see the 8.5 acre site become a thriving hub, where it is expected more than 350 people will work. 

Gentoo recently announced that it will be opening a new state-of-the-art trade depot for its property services team, in partnership with materials supplier Jewson Partnership Solutions, at the site. Their building is the furthest advanced on the site and is expected to be completed by August 2026. The roof is now in place on their 19,000 sq ft base.

As well as being one half of the development business behind Eastgate Point, BDN have led on architectural works for the buildings, as well as providing structural and civil engineering services and project management.

Richard Marsden, managing director of BDN, which is also the developer behind Sheepfolds Stables, said: “It’s fantastic to see swathes of land that had been undeveloped for so long advancing so quickly and changing the skyline for traffic travelling into Sunderland city centre.

“It’s a brilliant location, with excellent connectivity to major arterial routes and close proximity to the city centre, and we’ve had really strong early interest from businesses looking to relocate into modern, well-designed industrial space.”

Hewitson Group have partnered with BDN to develop the scheme.  The family-owned business, which was set up in 2004, now employs more than 300 people and delivers a range of services – including major civil engineering, plant hire, haulage and property development – across the North East of England.

Andrew Finnigan, group operations director at Hewitson Group, said: “The pace of change at Eastgate Point has been phenomenal, and we expect to see the first eight buildings fully let and ready to open by early 2027.

“Each time I visit the site, there’s a visible change to the landscape. It’s great to be playing a part in delivering a scheme that will add so much value to Sunderland.”

The site will comprise a range of industrial sheds, with a proportion of office space within each unit for office-based staff. Plans submitted to Sunderland City Council also included an 8-space electric vehicle charging station to support Sunderland’s transition to cleaner, greener cars.

The units themselves are designed to be as energy efficient as possible, ensuring businesses that locate to the site benefit from reduced energy consumption and lower running costs.

Councillor Michael Mordey, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “As a Hendon ward councillor, I am delighted to see a site, that has stood empty for so long, transform so rapidly.

“We’re creating the conditions in Sunderland for the private sector to step in and deliver at pace, and that’s fuelling regeneration on a scale not seen for decades.”

To find out more about the available space at Eastgate Point, email mario@lofthouseandpartners.co.uk or richard@htare.co.uk.