Planning permission for intimate studio space

Sunderland is to get a new dedicated comedy venue.

The intimate 40-seat space is to be created at the Dun Cow, an Edwardian gin palace that has been occasionally used for ad-hoc gigs.

Councillors this week gave the go-ahead for the first floor of the venue, currently a vacant restaurant, to be converted into a comedy club with its own entrance.

The planning application says the space will be used as a comedy club on Friday and Saturday evenings, and for other cultural events on other nights.

The Grade II listed building, which dates from 1901, is next to the Empire Theatre and close to the university campus.

According to a heritage report, ‘the significance of this building lies in its flamboyant Edwardian architectural detail’, while its Indo-Gothic back bar on the ground floor is ‘said to be one of the most stunning back bars in England’.

The plan for the new space can be seen on Sunderland City Council's planning portal.

Published: 18 Feb 2021