Galleries Retail Park — Local services in Sunderland

Well, well, well… where do I start with Washington Galleries?

You don’t need to go to Manchester to see Jeremy Kyle live — just pop into Washington Galleries and experience the full cast in the wild. It’s not just a shopping centre; it’s a social safari. One minute you’re in Greggs, the next you’re in a full-blown episode of Jezzzaaaa with a couple arguing over who stole whose vape. Try to blend in — grab a Monster, put your phone on speaker, and shout “I told you, Jade, it ain’t mine!” — and you’ll fit right in.

And then there’s the grannies. No in-between — either forming a stationary knitting circle right in front of the exit, or zooming past on mobility scooters like they’ve just robbed Argos. They’ll clip your ankle at 20mph and look at you like you’re the problem. Honestly, Judge Judy would throw the whole lot of them into scooter court and confiscate their licenses.

But let’s talk about the vibe. Or rather… the complete lack of one. The place feels like purgatory with a Poundland. It’s giving Dawn of the Dead, but with more vape clouds and fewer survivors. The energy is heavy — it weighs you down. We need to ask ourselves: why not brighten it up? Go full '80s/'90s aesthetic mall-core — slap in some indoor plants, neon signs, funky tiles, a working water fountain or two. Remind people they’re alive. The aesthetic of a space matters. It impacts mental health more than people realise. The current design feels like the waiting room before reincarnation — but someone forgot to call your number.

Washington Council needs to drain this swamp, give it a facelift, and stop letting the town centre become an emotional sinkhole. People deserve better....

Free car parking does it for me every time. It is a whole l, if dated, indoor shopping experience. It's warm clean and has lots of local traders in some of the shops. The owners are in it for the profits of course and the rents will be high. There was an indoor market to the left of Sainsbury's looking from the car park or on the right opposite Sainsbury's Argos inside walking towards the carpark. However the new owners closed it, suddenly closing down fantastic local traders. Especially lost are the amazing locally owned great menu cafes and food outlets. It was harsh. The Galleries is still missing the wonderful Chinese takeaway. That was the Qin Oriental Express. The food from there was the absolute best. I have always hoped the City would do something to give a step up from the street but nothing has happened yet. There were three fantastic food places that sold fresh home made pies with mash and Veg or all day breakfasts a whole genre has been lost. But shrinking shutting down stopping is all we've done as a country...

The choice of stores is gradually improving what's becoming a real problem is parking. With the new M&S opening it's now totally inadequate and quite dangerous. People are just parking anywhere, not just using disabled and spaces for people with children. Now they're even parking at pedestrian crossings and blocking them. Just wish I had been able to take photograph today. The flow of traffic is really bad around the car park & the little roundabout to access the retail park is like the wacky races! Only a matter of time before serious accidents happen. Who on earth designs...