Plans revealed for £80m leisure development

Plans have been unveiled for an £80m leisure development at Riverside Sunderland, with the proposals including a 10,000-capacity arena designed to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city every year.Sunderland City Council has set out the plans for the site of the former Crowtree Leisure Centre.Alongside the main element of the arena, the development will include a food hall, restaurants, and hotel and studios.The council is working with a number of partners, including a UK-based operator, to shape the plans.The project has already attracted more than £20m in funding from Sunderland City Council and national Government and will move into advanced design stages if Sunderland’s Cabinet sign off the proposed budget for the scheme.Together with projects that are underway and planned for the former Vaux Brewery site and Sheepfolds, the arena plans mark an ambitious new phase in Sunderland’s city centre evolution, which council bosses say is about creating an experience-led destination.