<strong>BID</strong> <strong>Sunderland</strong> A city with great potential Twenty one years after becoming a city, <strong>Sunderland</strong> now has the opportunity to accelerate city centre growth and create long-term prosperity. After extensive consultation businesses now have the chance to vote for a city centre <strong>Business</strong> Improvement District (<strong>BID</strong>) 06 Harry Collinson, owner, Collinsons Jewellers “The <strong>BID</strong> gives us a chance to move the city forward together. I urge anyone within the <strong>BID</strong> area to vote yes when they get the chance to do so.” While <strong>Sunderland</strong> city centre has much to offer visitors, several issues are preventing it from fulfilling its true potential as a thriving, vibrant place to visit. The city is blessed with many cultural and historic assets, including the <strong>Sunderland</strong> Museum and Winter Gardens, <strong>Sunderland</strong> Minster and the Empire Theatre. It has a reputation for putting on a show – the Stadium of Light has become a headline venue for internationally acclaimed artists and bands. In the last 3 years the stadium has hosted concerts with Take That, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen and highlights this year include Rihanna and Bon Jovi. One Direction chose the Stadium as one of only 4 UK venues for their 2014 World Tour. The <strong>Sunderland</strong> International Air Show is Europe’s largest free air show and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. It is home to around 300,000 people, a flourishing university and hundreds of successful businesses, many of which have a global reputation and export across the world. It is built on an economy shaped by its coastal location and dominated by success stories in car manufacturing, business services and engineering. But at the urban core of the city serious challenges remain which – as many city centre businesses are aware - need urgent attention. Tackling challenges head on Like most cities across the UK, <strong>Sunderland</strong> has faced dwindling footfall and rising numbers of empty shops at the hands of the tough economic climate and growth in online sales and retail parks. It is battling against its own unique challenges - such as fierce competition from nearby retail hubs like Newcastle, Durham and the Metrocentre and the pressing need for renewal and revitalisation in the city centre. It is recognised that more needs to be done to promote the city to visitors and get them to stay longer and spend more money. Other issues around negative perceptions of safety, security, cleaning and maintenance also exist. Maximising opportunities But opportunities are emerging too, partly through the near £30m of new regeneration projects and capital investment currently planned for the city centre and being led by <strong>Sunderland</strong> City Council. These include the development of a pedestrianised boulevard at St Mary’s Way and Livingstone Road, creating a new impressive gateway to the city centre and freeing up space for a new public square in the heart of the city, ideal for major events to attract new visitors. Two new multimillion pound hotels, the new bridge and the demolition of Crowtree Leisure Centre to make way for new city centre development space and public realm improvements are also in the pipeline. Network Rail, together with the City Council and transport provider Nexus, are planning a £10m investment to radically improve passenger services and the visitor welcome at <strong>Sunderland</strong> Central Station - the key city centre arrival point. Meanwhile in the wider city business world, the Port of <strong>Sunderland</strong>, and various developments related to Nissan and its supply chain are among the private sector job creators continuing to bring people and wealth into the area. A formula for success Clearly for all the current challenges, there are numerous opportunities for city centre businesses to take advantage of. <strong>BID</strong>s have helped to build stronger and more resilient economies in many other UK cities facing their own sets of challenges. Now is the right time for <strong>Sunderland</strong> to enjoy similar success with a <strong>BID</strong> tailored to the city centre’s specific needs and aspirations. We believe a <strong>BID</strong> is the solution to both tackle the issues holding <strong>Sunderland</strong> back and to put city centre businesses at the heart of future opportunities that lie ahead. www.bidsunderland.co.uk
<strong>BID</strong> <strong>Sunderland</strong> There is currently almost £30m worth of new capital investment planned for <strong>Sunderland</strong> city centre www.bidsunderland.co.uk
Change language