The People's Budget: How you would like to see £100million spent in Sunderland city centre
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Councillors will meet on Wednesday this week to discuss the budget for 2019/20 - and as part of this, will look at approving spending for a number of projects in the city centre.
These include creating a new civic centre at the Vaux site, works at Sunderland Museum, the Winter Gardens and Central Library, and the third phase of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor, a dual carriageway linking the city centre with Northern Spire.
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Hide AdBut you had your own ideas to share about where you would like to see money spent in the city centre.
Council leader Graeme Miller revealed his ambition to double the number of people living in the city centre - something which he says has been an integral part of the authority's plans going forward. He also said that the new civic centre is the "first domino" in getting the Vaux site in action, which will in turn prompt further development.
Dozens of you got in touch on social media to share your own views about what you would like to see money spent including new shops, leisure facilities and improvements to the coastline to get Sunderland "buzzing" again.
There were also calls to introduce free parking in the city centre to encourage more visitors to the shops, pubs and restaurants.
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Hide AdHere are some of your suggestions from the Sunderland Echo Facebook page:
Dave Bews: "Cover Blandford street, and heat it, fill it with coffee shops, places to eat, bars, etc, it will be full all year round, just look at the Galleries the food places are chocka every day, but make it special, a real classy place with loads of choice, we need it."
Mark Cuthbertson: "Free car parks, the only way to save the city centre."
Sandra Hall: "Doing the train station up would be great."
Michael Chapman-Johns: "I’m not from Sunderland but I moved to the North East last May and Sunderland has so much potential, in the right hands investment could do huge things."
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Hide AdAndrew Watson: "What the city centre needs, in order to generate a working economy is people who will spend their lunches and immediate time after work in the city centre."
Stan Carr: "Make the rent cheaper for business ...attract decent shops and use Blandford Street like Eldon Square uses the entrance at the Monument."
June Tate: "Get Park Lane Market up and running with plenty of variety, the way it used to be, get people shopping up that end of Sunderland again it used to be buzzing at one time."
Mary Pinder: "Free car parking would get more people in town centre."
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Hide AdTom Booth: "[Definitely] need people living in the centre. Keeping it buzzing. Shopping as we knew it is finished."
Gary Thompson: "Use the money to extend the Metro to Herrington Country Park and get some tenting up like Dalton Park. There is a real money return from that place but the transport is diabolical."
Trevor Newton: "Please spend some money on much needed additional police officers."
Pat Holehouse: "What we need is a place for the kids to go to ice skating, roller skating."
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Hide AdPeeta Stebbenwolf: "Possibly some sporting or other cultural facility? Anything to get people into the town."
Richard Applegate: "I [would] just like them to finish the seafront, get rid of the stones and rocks on the beach like Shields, bring the fairground back, open air theatre etc needs to be a place where people would holiday."
Joanne Mason: "Bring back Crowtree."