Tender

Gentoo plans demolition contract for three Sunderland tower blocks

By Staff Writer  |  27 October 2026

Gentoo Group has given notice that it plans to procure a contract for the soft strip and demolition of Londonderry, Lambton and Lumley Towers, three large panel system high-rise residential blocks in Sunderland.

The planned procurement notice was published on Find a Tender on 26 October 2026. It gives an estimated contract value of about 5.92m pounds excluding VAT, or 7.1m pounds including VAT, and covers the soft strip and demolition of all three tower blocks under a single lot.

Timetable

The notice gives an estimated contract period of 1 July 2027 to 31 July 2029. Gentoo states that these dates are estimates only, and that the contract dates will be set once the procurement timetable, which is still being discussed and agreed, is fixed. It invites interested bidders to contact it directly to register interest and to ask to be told of the updated timeline.

The notice gives 8 January 2027 as the deadline for enquiries and 13 January 2027 as the deadline for expressions of interest. It expects to publish the tender notice by 1 December 2026, and gives the end of the award period as 1 June 2027. A first planning notice for the same requirement was published in May 2026.

How it will be procured

Gentoo intends to use a competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, and the notice qualifies the procurement for an accelerated timetable. Gentoo says the structure may still change as the process and documents are developed, but it currently expects three stages.

The first stage will cover due diligence and quality, with essential pass or fail criteria, scored method of working statement questions and social value proposals. The second stage will cover priced proposals and programmes, and the third will be a formal scored interview. The lot is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and for voluntary, community and social enterprises.

Why the towers are coming down

Gentoo began structural investigations in the three towers in November 2023. In November 2024 it wrote to residents with the results for Londonderry Tower, which it says were the same for Lambton and Lumley Towers. The results found that the buildings are safe for day-to-day use and show no visual signs of structural failure, but that a major impact, such as an explosion, could cause serious structural damage because of the way the buildings were constructed.

Gentoo has also said that the buildings need substantial planned investment, including work to improve fire safety. After a statutory consultation with residents, it decided to proceed with demolition, citing the investment, fire safety and structural needs of the buildings.

Gentoo has set out its support for residents moving out. Each household receives a personal housing needs assessment and is placed in its highest priority band when bidding for a new home. Gentoo tenants are entitled to a statutory home loss payment of 8,100 pounds when they end their tenancy in the towers, and Gentoo is offering further financial support of up to 1,500 pounds towards costs such as decorating, flooring and furniture in the new home.