Plans to expand and improve parking facilities at a popular country park have been given the green light by city councillors.

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee, at a meeting this week, approved a council application to extend car parking areas at Herrington Country Park.

The country park covers an area of almost 200 hectares and is one of the largest parks in Sunderland, and has hosted major events over the years from music concerts and charity events to sports.

Plans submitted earlier this year aimed to extend existing parking areas into areas of green space, along with “associated access, landscaping, biodiversity improvements and infrastructure”.

A planning statement submitted to council officials confirmed the project would cover several parts of the country park.

This included increasing parking provision in the main café car park by 67 spaces, including five accessible bays, seven electric vehicle (EV) charging bays and four minibus bays, and “dedicated cycle parking and motorcycle parking”.

The skate park car park would also see an increase of 24 spaces, along with wider “biodiversity improvements” at the park in the form of a new “wildflower meadow” and drainage improvements to “alleviate existing flooding issues”.

The café car park extension is the largest part of the scheme and would essentially double the number of car parking spaces at this part of the country park.

Although the skate park car park would see an increase from nine spaces to 33 spaces, no accessible or EV charging bays are proposed at this location.

Supporting documents from the city council previously said the popularity of the park’s new café Love Lily had “outstripped expectations which has led to an increased demand for parking with the car park regularly reaching capacity”.

The local authority said this situation had led to people parking on grassed areas and that “these green spaces have deteriorated, particularly during the winter months [which] detracts from the appearance of the country park”.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department recommended the parking expansion plan for approval and said it would help to “alleviate the pressure on the existing car parks and prevent overuse of the grassed areas”.

After being put to the vote at Monday’s (September 2) Planning and Highways Committee, councillors voted unanimously to approve the scheme.

During the debate, it was noted that ‘overflow’ parking provision already exists near the park’s entrance, with ‘grasscrete’ underneath, which is used by visitors.

Council planners said increased formal hard surface car parking aimed to encourage visitors to park in the enlarged primary parking areas, instead of using green spaces.

Councillors were told that the management of wider parking issues at the country park, and any associated signage, was the city council’s responsibility.

Councillor Dianne Snowdon said the café car park extension would “work nicely” as it was close to the “really well-used” children’s play area.

Councillor Stephen Foster said he didn’t think the council would “ever get on top of the amount of cars” using the country park but welcomed the expanded car parking plan as a “much-needed” scheme.

Plans for the country park were previously discussed by city leaders as part of the city council’s budget-setting process, with an aim of increasing parking spaces and improving facilities for visitors.

A cabinet report discussed by senior councillors last year said proposals aimed to respond to increased popularity and visitors, with existing parking at the park labelled as “inadequate, leading to inconsiderate parking on grassed areas”.

The Planning and Highways Committee report discussed by councillors this week said proposals would help prevent “indiscriminate parking [on] areas of green space within the country park”.

The committee report added: “On this basis, it is considered that very special circumstances exist which would clearly outweigh the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm resulting from the proposal”.

Comments from the council’s conservation team also said additional parking would have a “negligible impact on the landscape setting of the Grade I-listed Penshaw Monument”.

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Councillor Melanie Thornton, chair of the Planning and Highways Committee, described the country park’s café as a “really successful addition” and welcomed the parking scheme and the reasons behind it.

“No-one wants to see green spaces churned up by cars so additional parking spaces will improve [the park] and are welcome,” she added.

For more information on the planning application, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/01467/LP3