Indoor karting plan for deserted department store
LDRSPlans have been submitted for an indoor karting centre inside a city centre department store which has stood empty for five years.
Sunderland City Council received a planning application to enable Team Sport to occupy the former Debenhams store which shut in May 2021.
The plans would see the empty department store turned into an entertainment centre with go-kart tracks, bowling lanes, an arcade and restaurant areas.
The developers say the project would have a "positive economic impact" on the area and bring a unit back into use which has been "vacant for over five years".
Floor plans show a restaurant area, "arcade zone" and bowling on the ground floor, a 16-kart track and restaurant area on the first floor, and a 16-kart track and 'mini racers track' on the second floor.
A supporting letter claims the Debenhams unit is "no longer suited to modern retail requirements" and the "continued vacancy of such a prominent anchor unit adversely affects footfall, activity and the overall vitality of The Bridges Shopping Centre and the wider city centre".
The developers say the plan would create around 40 full-time jobs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A consultation is expected before a decision on the plan is made.
