Stärka wins high profile instructions from Sunderland City Council
Specialist leisure real estate advisory firm Stärka has won two high-profile instructions from Sunderland City Council.
Stärka will advise on the council’s plans to create a new city centre entertainment district on the site of the former Crowtree Leisure Centre. The development will sit adjacent to the £1.5bn Riverside Sunderland urban quarter, which is currently being created on either side of the River Wear.
The new district – which is being backed by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund – will extend to approximately 60,000 sq ft and may include an events space, food hall, restaurants, and other food and beverage concepts.
In addition, Stärka has been appointed to advise on the leasing of the leisure space within Sunniside Leisure Scheme. Targeting a mixture of national, regional, and local operators, Stärka will look to create a diverse offer that appeals to residents, workers, visitors, and Sunderland’s student community.
Sammy Jones, co-founder of Stärka, said: “We are delighted to be advising Sunderland City Council on the implementation of its bold vision to transform the city centre. The entertainment district will be a new focal point for Sunderland’s social and cultural economy, and will be the perfect place in which emerging and established F&B and leisure operators can build thriving businesses. The quality, scale, and opportunity the council is creating are inspiring, and we share the team’s commitment to delivering something truly outstanding for the city.”
The adjacent Riverside Sunderland development covers 32 hectares and will include one million sq ft of office space, 1,000 new homes to rent and buy, a number of new civic, public and cultural assets, as well as the transformation of St Mary’s Boulevard. The development is expected to double the resident population in the city centre to 5,000 people and create up to 10,000 new jobs.
Since launching in January 2022, Stärka has worked on a number of significant transactions and re-gears totalling over 600,000 sq ft. It has also secured new clients such as Everyman Cinema, Gravity Active Entertainment, Blacklock, Côte, Bundobust, Oxygen FreeJumping, and Bean Coffee. Its landlord mandates include Grosvenor, DTZ IM, Schroders, Pradera Lateral, and DS Properties.