Roker and Seaburn: Breathing new life into Sunderland's stunning coastal landmarks

The seaside locations of Seaburn and Roker are also seeing waves of change. A desire to breathe new life into a traditional British seaside resort has brought a touch of contemporary Scandinavian design to the beach. Through seating that brings a smile to the face and enables everyone to enjoy the bracing sea air, beachgoers can share the wellbeing created by Scandinavians’ famed passion for outdoor life (friluftsliv).

Bringing back the Great British Seaside

Roker and Seaburn seafronts are twin beaches in Sunderland, a city on the north-east coast of England. Offering miles of beautiful coastline, the area has been a popular UK holiday destination for centuries. The golden sands and landscaped promenade offer both local people and tourists extensive opportunities for play and relaxation at this popular traditional British seaside resort.

Along with many other coastal towns and cities, Roker and Seaburn had seen their fortunes fade with the growth in popularity of affordable overseas holiday travel. Many of the UK’s historic resorts have seen their once fashionable status decline, leading to a challenging economic environment for the local population.

Seeing a need to reinvent both resorts, the Seafront Regeneration Strategy was developed by Sunderland City Council in 2009 to steer the regeneration of Roker and Seaburn seafronts. The aim has been to provide enhanced tourism opportunities and support Sunderland’s aspiration to be the UK’s most liveable city.

Extensive public consultation was originally undertaken to develop a vision and objectives that would ensure the appropriate development of this locally important green/blue space. The community felt that distinct visions for Roker and Seaburn seafronts were desirable as the two have quite different needs and functions. Roker was deemed popular for relaxation, and families loved the peaceful, natural environment. For Seaburn, a greater focus on hospitality and leisure activities was preferred, to offer a more typical British seaside experience. Through this balanced approach, the combined seafront offers something for everyone and enhances the quality of life of both local residents and visitors.

A flexible approach

When Sunderland’s seafront was chosen to host the World Triathlon Championship Series in 2023, a difficult decision had to be made about the redesign of a much-loved and award-winning public space. The original design was filled with coastal planting, large boulders and street furniture, much of which could not be easily removed to open up the space for events.

At an early stage, the decision was made to entirely reconfigure the seafront through a sustainable approach, with all the existing features being relocated either within the revised design or elsewhere along the seafront.

While the new public realm had to function for all day-to-day users, the proposals would also need to support flexible use, including occasional clearance. To enable easy removal and full access, all the furniture therefore needed to be surface fixed and demountable. Vestre furniture was selected due to our long warranties and sustainable approach. For decades, Vestre has furnished outdoor areas in challenging coastal environments such as Oslo, which is not so climactically different to Sunderland, lying just across the North Sea.

The outlook is bright

The ever-popular BLOC range fully met the project’s requirements, due to its simple contemporary form, robustness and straightforward surface fixing. Sun benches were chosen to provide comfortable and welcoming seating from which to look out to sea and spot visiting dolphins. The benches’ scale allows for use singly, in couples or small groups.

The seating is well used throughout the year and has proved a real success, as the welcoming colours pop on the darkest stormy days of winter and also provide a cheerful holiday vibe during the summer months. Complementary BLOC planters were dotted through the area and are filled with bright seasonal and maritime-friendly planting.

“Sustainability was a key theme for us throughout the redesign of Roker and Seaburn seafronts and we chose Vestre street furniture due to their eco-credentials. The range of colours offered was also an important factor, allowing us to add pops of colour to the newly designed public realm. Their BLOC sun benches were chosen for ergonomic comfort and to support flexible use by a range of users, and the large BLOC planters have allowed planting to become a key element of the space,” says Philip Dorian, Principal Landscape Architect at Sunderland City Council.

The unique and vibrant colour palette was thoughtfully selected from the 200 available RAL colours. It was important to bring a sense of fun to this reinvented British seaside resort by choosing a complementary range of bright and pastel colours, reminiscent of ice creams, canvas deck chairs and candyfloss. The palette was chosen to appeal to a wide range of people, and the end result is that everyone feels more welcome.

The transformed landscape has successfully refreshed the seafront into a more inclusive and welcoming space. Visitors are overwhelmingly positive about the recent investment and visit in large numbers to walk on the beaches, take a break on a seat, and try the award-winning fish and chips!

Client: Sunderland City Council Landscape: Landscape Design Services, Sunderland City Council Contractor: ARM Piptek Completion: 2023 Location: Roker/Seaburn seafronts, Sunderland