Legal work undertaken by Durham City’s leading law firm, Swinburne Maddison LLP, (Swinburne Maddison) on a newly refurbished Grade II building on High Street West, Sunderland, has given it a new lease of life.
The freehold owners of the building, Philip and Valerie Gibbs, who are longstanding clients of Swinburne Maddison, purchased the building as an investment in 2010 as trustees of their family trust, Arrow Commercial.
Arrow Commercial entered into a lease agreement with Sunderland City Council for the use of the offices in 2014, and on surrender of the lease in 2023, Arrow Commercial immediately embarked on a refurbishment programme to transform the building, submitting plans to Sunderland City Council. These were given the green light last September.
The planning application sought to change the use of the ground floor from offices back to a public house and restaurant at the rear of the building with the offices on the upper floors available for rental.
Commenting on this project and the Arrow Commercial portfolio, Philip Gibbs, said:
“Lambton House is a perfect demonstration of how we operate as a business. When we saw this building, we were determined to bring it back to a full and useful commercial life and at the same time, create new jobs, so I was delighted when our plans were approved.
“At Arrow Commercial, our aim is to prioritise development projects that will help local economies grow. Using our expertise in commercial property, we help create new jobs and opportunities for people in both the private and public sectors.”
The ground floor will serve as two units, with shared washroom facilities. The Bridge Hotel Vaults Ltd will operate the main bar and the restaurant will be operated by MPC Sunderland Ltd.
Diane Hall, associate solicitor in Swinburne Maddison’s commercial property team, was involved in the legal work, undertaking a full range of property matters including the completion of the first floor office lease to a local charity, a lease of the second and third floor offices to a London based training academy creating a North East hub, and the preparation of two ground floor leases to hospitality companies. She said:
“Given the age of the building, which dates back to 1797 when it was built as a house for the Lambton family, this has been a particularly interesting project to work on. With a portfolio that includes a range of other local properties and business interests, I hope I will be able to provide legal advice and support to Arrow Commercial on similar instructions in the future.
“Together with our local market knowledge and commercial property expertise, I think our longstanding relationship with Arrow Commercial’s trustees has been a major benefit in terms of being able to work seamlessly with them and secure the best deal.”
Mr Gibbs added: “We are extremely pleased with the way this transaction has gone. Diane and the commercial property team at Swinburne Maddison have done a great job for us and we are thrilled to be able to announce that we also have some new tenants.
“On the first floor – a charity known as More than Grandparents, has taken space. They do some fantastic work with kinship carers - people who are raising their grandchildren or a relative’s or friend’s child - and Total Futures Ltd, who have taken offices on the second and third floors to create a training academy for disadvantaged people and to improve the skill shortage in the local area. We are very pleased to welcome both of them as tenants and hope they will be very happy here.
“Lambton House is embarking on an exciting new chapter in its history and we are looking forward to seeing how it develops.”
Recognising that the Sunniside area is set to undergo a wave of investment in the future and delighted to have the opportunity to put down roots in this part of the city, the people behind Vaux Brewery and Pop Recs have taken a 20-year lease for two areas at ground floor level.
Steven Smith, Director of Vaux Brewery and The Bridge Hotel Vaults, said:
“The Bridge Hotel Vaults is an historic pub and provides an opportunity for us to build on the strong links the brewery has in Sunderland. Customers will be able to try the full range of Vaux beers alongside other guest beers and a fully stocked bar. It gives us a different type of offering to our Monk Street taproom as it’s a traditional, cosy pub in the city centre and therefore caters to a wider audience.
Dan Shannon, Director of Pop Recs and The Bridge Hotel Vaults added:
“Things are going well and we are planning to expand our offering as the new year progresses to include food, so watch this space"
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