Sunderland Council to Sell Land for £1 for Affordable Bungalow Development

A plot of land is slated for sale by a council for £1, with the purpose of constructing affordable bungalows, which are currently experiencing “high demand”. Sunderland City Council has received a recommendation to approve the transfer of the site, located at Cato Street, Southwick, within the city, to the housing association Bernicia. The company intends to build 11 bungalows on the property, which the Labour-led council has stated is valued at £25,000. A report submitted to the council prior to its meeting on Thursday indicated that the project would “promote and improve the social wellbeing” of residents. Bernicia has previously developed 37 affordable homes on the adjacent site of the former Southwick Primary School. The Cato Street location was formerly occupied by houses, which were demolished due to their “poor state”, according to the council report. It further added: “Several projects to utilise the land for an enhanced community use have failed with the site attracting regular anti-social behaviour issues.” The documents reveal that Bernicia needed to secure “significant” government funding for the project to proceed, and that there was a “high demand” for affordable bungalows in the area.