Student flats proposed above former tattoo studio

Student flats could be created above a former tattoo studio in a city centre.

An application to Sunderland City Council's planning department is seeking permission to change the use of part of 24 Fawcett Street.

The plans, from applicant Gills Fryfry Ltd, propose converting the building's upper floors to six "student studios" along with alterations to the shopfront to insert a doorway access to them.

A decision on the plan is expected following a consultation.

An accompanying design, access and heritage statement notes the ground floor commercial unit, previously occupied by Triplesix Studios, would be retained, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Each flat would be a self-contained studio for a single student providing somewhere to sleep, study, storage, cooking facilities and private en-suite bathroom accommodation.

Applicants say the "modest six-person scale is particularly appropriate to an existing historic city centre building".

An accompanying document with the proposal adds: "It provides a viable contemporary use without requiring substantial new construction or loss of historic townscape."

The site was previously approved to become a charity's adult learning hub offering educational courses in December, but the plans never materialised.

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