Deadlock over plans for brewery site

Deadlock over plans for brewery site

Tesco and Arc have different plans for the Tesco site

A regeneration company, hoping to take over the site of a former brewery on Wearside, says it still hopes to find a site for a supermarket company which wants to build on the site.

The Sunderland Arc regeneration company wants to create a £280m homes, leisure, and business complex on the former Vaux brewery site in the city centre.

But supermarket giant Tesco, which owns the Vaux site, wants to put a £50m superstore there as part of a mixed development.

Sunderland Arc has been trying to find an alternative site for Tesco to build its supermarket.

Arc claims Tesco has rejected a couple of suggested alternative sites, but that it hopes discussions between the two sides will continue.

If no agreement is reached it may be that Arc would have to rely on a compulsory purchase order of the site, instigated by one of its founder partners such as One North East or Sunderland Council.

Tesco has said that none of the sites offered to it so far have been suitable.

'Great opportunity'

Tom Macartney, the chief executive of the Sunderland Arc, said: "Tesco has decided it is going to bash on with trying to get a Tesco Extra and 1,000-car carpark built.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop the site in a brilliant way for Sunderland, and we are not going to just let a supermarket be built on it."

The superstore idea features a 80,000 sq ft hypermarket, a 20,000 sq ft car park, and associated apartments and offices.

And Tesco says none of the sites it has been offered are suitable, and that Arc's attitude is "confrontational and not benefiting the residents of Sunderland".