Sunderland City Council has confirmed that the new Culture House at Keel Square will become the permanent home of Sunderland’s City Library in Tyne and Wear. The move marks a change for the city’s library services, which will shift to a modern space featuring digital technology and a year‑round programme of events.
The four‑storey building is part of the Riverside Sunderland project and is expected to open to the public in the first half of 2026. It will house adult, youth and children’s libraries alongside local history and archive services.
According to the Culture House Sunderland website, the venue will include dedicated podcasting studios and a rooftop sky garden. Visitors will also have access to a creative work area known as a makerspace and interactive digital features such as the ‘City Eye’ data visualisation.
The project is a £27 million development, part‑funded by the government’s Future High Streets Fund; Levelling Up Fund allocations have supported the wider Riverside Sunderland regeneration programme. The building was designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects to serve as a central meeting place for the community.
The project is in its final fit‑out phase as workers complete the interior of the roughly 7,000 square‑metre building. Sunderland City Council expects the venue to attract more than 500,000 people to the city centre every year.
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