Café plan near National Trust's Penshaw Monument in Sunderland resurfaces after pizza idea dropped

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for land near the Penshaw Hill House and Cottage complex.

The proposed development site sits adjacent to the two dwellings at the foot of Penshaw Hill, off the A183 Chester Road, and within the Green Belt, and is described as a ‘former horse menage’.

Earlier this year, plans were submitted to erect a detached building providing a “pizza food and beverage offer for visitors to Penshaw Monument”, complete with an “eating/servery area” and a “display area for National Trust publications and information”.

The development was described in the planning listing as a “pizza café” and offered an indoor seating area, external terrace, toilets and on-site parking.

However, the plan was withdrawn by the applicant in June, 2024, following public opposition, an objection from the National Trust and objections from several council departments, including ecology and highways officers.

The National Trust, which owns Penshaw Monument, said plans would have a “detrimental impact” on the Grade I-listed site along with “landscape and visual, ecological and parking and traffic concerns”.

Around 16 public objections also raised a range of concerns, from heritage impacts on Penshaw Monument and increased litter and congestion issues, to the suitability of a ‘pizza venue’ in the area, parking pressures, and wildlife impacts.

Previous council planning documents note the applicant had been ‘served notice’ that the pizza café application would be recommended for refusal by Sunderland City Council.

New plans from the same applicant Green Property Developments Ltd have again applied to local authority planners for the same site, with a bid to change the use of a ‘horse menage’ to a café use.

A revised design, access and heritage statement submitted to council officials describes the development as a “detached unit which will provide a café facility for visitors to Penshaw Monument only”.

The new design, access and heritage statement is similar to a supporting statement submitted earlier this year with the previous planning application, however, the new statement has removed all references to “pizza”.

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Applicants note the building would include an “internal eating/servery area with an external food servery and toilet facilities for monument visitors” and that externally accessible toilets would be “available 24/7 to service monument visitors”.

It was noted that the “building has been designed to be low profile and unobtrusive to sit at the base of Penshaw Hill”, with a roof design “effectively camouflaging the building when viewed from the monument above”.

Those behind the scheme also maintained the proposal would “neither increase nor decrease the number of visitors to the monument” and stressed it would create employment opportunities, with 12 full-time and 8 part-time positions.

On highways matters, applicants said “vehicular parking will be provided both immediately adjacent to the building and on the opposite side of the access road, all within the ownership of the applicant”.

Parking provision would include two disabled bays and two EV charging points, and applicants maintain the proposals would “provide more formalised safe car parking arrangements”.

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The design, access and heritage statement adds: “The development would result in minimal impact upon the openness of the Green Belt.

“Due to the natural topography of the site and in particular Penshaw Hill to the north west, the proposal would not result in significant harm to the Grade I-listed asset.

“The adjacent residential properties would not be adversely affected by the proposal, the development would not increase overlooking or decrease privacy in relation to residential amenity.

“The proposal would provide significant employment opportunities and would provide a high quality service.”

Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website indicates the revised planning application was submitted back in July, 2024, but was ‘validated’ and appeared publicly this month (December, 2024).

A decision on the planning application is expected to be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website lists a decision deadline of February 12, 2025.

For more information on the planning application or to track its progress, visit the council’s planning portal and search reference: 24/01404/FUL