The site is on the eastern side of Silksworth Lane in Sunderland, on a stretch of land that has been underutilised for some time. It sits directly opposite the existing Sainsbury's and The Range stores and is well-placed to serve residents across the south of the city.

Not yet. The planning application (reference 26/00144/FU4) has been submitted to Sunderland City Council and will be decided by the Planning & Highways Committee. That's why your support matters - letters submitted through this website go straight to the Council and are considered by members when they make their decision.

The wider site will include three new occupiers: an M&S Foodhall of approximately 24,500 sq ft (GIA), a new Aldi supermarket of approximately 20,000 sq ft, and a Starbucks Coffee drive-through of approximately 1,800 sq ft. This website focuses on the M&S element of the scheme.

No, M&S recently expanded its store in Washington, which serves parts of the Sunderland area. The Silksworth Lane Foodhall would be M&S's second store in the city and would bring its full food range to communities in the south of Sunderland for the first time.

The Foodhall will carry M&S's full food range, fresh produce, bakery, ready meals, seasonal lines, its popular Dine In, Plant Kitchen and Free From ranges, flowers, wines and more. It will also offer in-store click and collect for online fashion, home and beauty orders.

The wider development is expected to create around 150 new permanent jobs and 55 indirect and induced FTE jobs across the wider supply chain once operational in total, with a significant number of those roles within the M&S Foodhall itself. Construction will also 125 temporary direct Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs, and 150 indirect FTE jobs throughout the construction phase, and local contractors are expected to be involved in the build.

A detailed highways assessment has been prepared as part of the planning application. It has been reviewed by both Sunderland Council’s highways department and separately by National Highways. It demonstrates the development will not have an adverse impact on local roads. The proposals also include better pedestrian routes and a new control crossing point on Silksworth Lane to make the site accessible without needing a car.

The site will include a dedicated customer car park with 238 new standard car parking spaces, 15 parent and child spaces, 1 EV accessible space, 7 EV charging spaces and, 15 accessible car parking spaces.

Yes. The site is close to existing bus stops on Silksworth Lane, and the proposals include improved pedestrian connections to make those stops easier and safer to reach on foot.

Deliveries will be managed through designated service areas within the site, scheduled to avoid peak times and minimise any disruption to local residents and road users.

The store has been designed to be fully electric, with energy-efficient lighting and services, smart energy management, EV charging infrastructure, and extensive landscaping and planting across the site. The store will be built to support M&S's commitment to becoming a net zero business by 2040.

Designed by SMR Architects, the scheme aims to create a modern, high-quality retail destination with attractive architecture and generous soft landscaping. Planting around the site's edges will also help screen the development from neighbouring residential areas.

Beyond employment and local supply chain investment, M&S runs its Marks & Start employability programme to help young people into work and partners with Neighbourly to redistribute surplus food from its stores to local charities and community groups.