A new chapter for Riverside Sunderland: homes designed for the future

The transformation of the former Vaux site at Riverside Sunderland is gathering pace – and the vision of a thriving, sustainable city centre neighbourhood is coming sharply into focus.

This month, construction begins on 34 new city centre homes, including 16 innovative and sustainable properties inspired by our award-winning designs for the Government’s Home of 2030 design competition. It marks an exciting next step in one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects.

Building a diverse new community

Working in partnership with local contractors Compass Developments NE Ltd, we’re delivering a mix of two- and three-bedroom terraced townhouses, maisonettes and apartments. These homes will form part of a vibrant, well-connected community right in the heart of Sunderland – where people can enjoy the very best of city centre living.

Residents will have green spaces, independent eateries, cultural venues and riverside walks all on their doorstep, with everything designed and delivered with our People, Place and Planet-first ethos at its heart.

A city centre on the rise  

Riverside Sunderland has already earned national recognition; named Best Place in Progress at the prestigious Pineapple Awards – part of the Festival of Place – which celebrates placemaking excellence across the UK.  

The new homes will sit between The Beam and the new Sunderland Eye Hospital, complementing neighbouring apartment blocks currently being delivered by Building Design (Northern) Limited and the planned new community at Farringdon Row where construction is expected to commence in the coming weeks.  

Together, these developments are helping to reshape Sunderland city centre as one of the most exciting places in the region to live, work and play.    

Homes designed for 2030 and beyond

At the core of this project is an exciting cluster of concept homes, borne out of the Government’s Home of 2030 competition – developed to set new benchmarks for sustainable, healthy, attractive and future-ready living.

Our winning +Home concept (created with Useful Projects, Expedition Engineers and Mawson Kerr) and the Connector Housing concept (by Open Studio with Hoare Lea, LDA Design and Gardiner & Theobald) were chosen by the Government’s Home of 2030 competition, led by RIBA, to showcase what the future of housing could look like.

By bringing these designs to life at Riverside Sunderland, we’re demonstrating how homes can be energy-efficient, adaptable and community-focused – and how they can enhance people’s lives for decades to come.

Shaping Sunderland’s future together

This development reflects what igloo does best: collaborating to deliver vibrant, long-term communities that work for People, Place and Planet. We’re proud to be working alongside Sunderland City Council and local partners to create a neighbourhood that will help shape the future of the wider Sunderland area.

It’s part of the ambitious Riverside Sunderland masterplan, which aims to double the city centre population from 2,500 to 5,000 and create 10,000 new jobs, alongside new places and spaces for people to enjoy.

Construction on the new homes will begin this month, with the first residents set to move in by 2027. In total, 133 new homes will stand on the former Vaux site, forming part of a mixed-use neighbourhood that will redefine what city living means in Sunderland.

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