Nursery and Apartments Planned for Former Gentoo Office in Sunderland

A housing office in Sunderland will change soon. The Cornhill Centre was Gentoo Group’s Southwick office. Now, someone wants to convert it and has submitted a plan to Sunderland City Council. Gentoo planned to sell as they are moving to Bunnyhill Centre.

Their new place should open this summer. The Cornhill Centre will close February 14, 2025, and customers can visit Gentoo at City Hall now. The Cornhill Centre will become a children’s nursery.

Step By Step Properties Ltd has big plans to create a nursery downstairs, which is ‘permitted use’ already. They need approval for apartments upstairs and propose ten apartments with one or two bedrooms. The plan includes changes inside, as they will install walls and upgrade things for a good, lasting conversion, meeting current living standards.

The project converts a three-story building. Once Gentoo leaves, it meets local needs, as Gentoo Group used the building as offices and they are leaving very soon.

The building is in great shape and has parking and green space. The design is nice, with bricks and tiles, and it fits well with the nearby houses. The plan follows national guidelines that promote reusing buildings, helping meet housing demands efficiently.

The first floor becomes a nursery. The upper floors will have ten high-quality apartments, with one or two bedrooms. The building design needs few changes outside, maintaining its residential look, with the windows and structure staying mostly the same.

The plan mentions only apartments directly, however, a transport statement talks about the nursery which will care for kids six months to five years. This does not need new planning permission. The nursery could have 78 children, with sixteen staff members working there, and around 20 percent of staff might drive.

The nursery hours will be long, operating 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday each week. The nursery will close on weekends, bank holidays, and late December. The plan explains that parking and drop-off spaces are adequate for everyone safely.

The nursery owner has many locations with branches in several towns. They are experienced with drop-offs and travel. Sunderland City Council will decide after a review.

The deadline is March 27, 2025. Look for plan 25/00071/PCM online; the council’s website has details and updates.