Contractor appointed for 40-bedroom Sunderland seafront inn

The contractor has been appointed for The Inn Collection Group’s new 40-room inn on Sunderland’s seafront.

Construction of the four-storey venue, which will include a bar and dining area and children’s play park for customers, will begin later this month on the site close to Martino’s restaurant on the main coast road.

The site will be built alongside the STACK Seaburn development which is expected to open in spring.

Sean Donkin, managing director of The Inn Collection Group, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Metnor Construction as principle contractor for The Seaburn Inn. Their selection signals an exciting new phase in the development of this project that will transform an area of redundant land into what will be a great new addition for Seaburn and the surrounding community.

“We pride ourselves on our track record for delivering award-winning pubs with rooms where people can eat, drink, sleep and explore from, across the north east, Cumbria and Yorkshire. Seaburn will be a wonderful new addition to our group and we look forward to work starting on site, in readiness for our doors opening by the end of 2020.”

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “We have a stunning seaside, and unlocking its potential through high-quality developments like this, from the Inn Collection Group, will ensure that Seaburn builds on its reputation as a popular seaside location, that can be enjoyed by people from Sunderland and beyond.  We’re thrilled to see this take another step forward, and look forward to seeing work get started in the new year.”

This is the latest visitor accommodation planned for the city, with a Holiday Inn planned for Keel Square that will bring 120-rooms to the city centre.

John McIntyre, Contract Manager from Metnor Construction said:” We are thrilled to have been selected principle contractor, this is an exciting project to be part of. I am excited to be working with The Inn Collection Group to bring a new lease of life to the area.”

“As a business we embrace collaborative working, we work nationally but our roots are firmly in the region and we are looking forward to expanding our portfolio of work so close to home.”

The Seaburn Inn development accompanies a new strategic direction from The Inn Collection Group to develop a completely freehold estate as it continues to roll out ‘buy and build’ growth plans, to more than double its ten-strong portfolio of pubs with rooms by 2022.

The Alchemy-backed group, which has been shortlisted for Best Pub Employer of up to 500 employees and Best Accommodation Operator in the national 2020 Publican Awards, will continue to seek out new development opportunities in the Lake District and Yorkshire as well as within its north east England heartland.

Its most recent new-build developments include The Commissioners Quay Inn, in Blyth and The Amble Inn in Amble, a £4m development which opened in January. The group made its Lake District debut with the opening of a new 30-bedroom pub with rooms, The Ambleside Inn, in Ambleside earlier this month.

The Inn Collection Group’s arrival in Sunderland follows a number of positive investment announcements led by the city council in recent weeks.  The seaside will see more leisure, with an £820k commitment to regenerate under-used and historic buildings along the Seaburn and Roker promenade.  Plans will see a former toilet block at Roker, along with the former Bay Shelter and the old tram shelter at Seaburn, transformed into cafés and restaurants, and plans are also afoot for 12 beach huts, that will stand just north of Fat Buddha.  There will also be upgrades to the infrastructure of Seaburn Camp to make it better for touring caravans.

In the city centre, there have been a number of major investment announcements, including a £100m commitment from Legal and General, that will see Riverside Sunderland transformed, with the addition of City Hall and two further office developments on the site of the former Vaux Brewery.  Among other exciting new developments is a 450-seater auditorium, that is now under construction in the city centre’s Minster Quarter; a new business centre, in the former River Wear Commissioners Building, the transformation of the Elephant Tearooms and the historic Mackie’s Quarter, which is being brought back to life by Sunderland developer Henry Kirtley.