Sunderland artist to create community centrepiece

Contemporary fine artist Dr Ron Lawson, has been commissioned by Sunderland City Council to create an attractive sculpture, that will stand amongst new council-built homes at Stanley Terrace in Shiney Row. 

The piece, which will be built from steel, features a sculptured bust of local miner, Robert Askew, a well-known figure in Shiney Row and a pillar of the community and church.  Robert would have walked by the area currently being developed on his way to the Lambton coke works, where he was a rigger, and the piece is designed to pay homage to him, as well as the area's mining heritage. 

Dr Lawson, who has a studio in Norfolk Street, bid for the commission, which is part of Sunderland City Council's community wealth-building efforts aimed at supporting the local economy through the local authority's capital programme. 

He said: "Public art has a key role to play in urban regeneration and I'm honoured to be able to create an artwork that reflects the local community, its heritage and its people"

The artwork will stand at the entrance of the pocket-sized community in Shiney Row, which will include five two-bedroom bungalows, creating properties for affordable rent for over 55s. 

The Homes England-backed development is currently under construction, with North East based Tolent leading its delivery.  It is expected to be complete by July and the properties will provide stunning one-storey accommodation for older residents. 

The scheme is part of a wider council Housing Delivery and Investment Plan (HDIP) to enable local people to access homes that they need and enable them to live independently as possible.  The local authority has committed to bring more than 360 empty properties into use as family homes over the next five years; deliver 117 new build bungalows; and through new build, conversion and refurbishment, create 95 new homes as supported accommodation.  

Graham Scanlon, Assistant Director of Housing at Sunderland City Council, said he is pleased that the development programme is delivering opportunities for a range of local businesses - not just those operating in the construction industry.

He said: "Our Housing Delivery and Investment Plan will deliver huge value to residents in Sunderland, creating affordable homes for rent that are of the highest quality.  However, we are also focused on ensuring that this plan delivers maximum value to Sunderland's people and businesses during the construction phase, and this is a great example of that.  We have an exceptional creative community in Sunderland, and commissioning public art means we support them, while delivering more attractive public realm that celebrates the skill of Sunderland people in the past and today."

The council intends to commission art at all of the new communities it delivers as part of its five-year HDIP.

"Our vision is to really raise the bar for social housing, and to support local people and businesses in the process.  We're looking forward to working with more talented local artists as we deliver against our ambitious programme," Graham added.

In its five-year Housing Delivery and Investment Plan, the council sets out plans to bring long term empty properties back into use, deliver more bungalows for accessible living, and provide more supported accommodation for vulnerable residents.  The council is one year into its plan.