'Exciting' development approved for Houghton's Elba Park - this is what to expect

Earlier this month, Sunderland City Council gave the green light to a new structure in Elba Park, near Houghton, for use by visiting community groups and schools.

Located by the existing visitor car park off the access road to Elba Park from Blind Lane, the multi-use building will provide meeting space, an education room, a kitchen, storage and toilet facilities.

It will also act as a base for Groundwork North East staff involved in the development and management of the park.

Charity bosses stressed that further fundraising will be needed to make the community hub a reality – with cost estimates for the project standing at £180,000.

Assistant Programme Manager at Groundwork North East & Cumbria, Andrea Baxter, said the team are exploring various sources of funding.

“This is a really exciting development for the park,” she said.

“This building is something we have been developing for a while and the planning approval marks the first stage in making it a reality.

“We need to secure funds to pay for the work and many of the funders require planning permission to be in place first – our team are working to secure funds now.

“We have built up an excellent community network over the past ten years but have always struggled because we have limited facilities on site.

“This building will provide a base for our ranger team and visiting groups and enable us to spend more time in the park.

“The space will enable us to provide shelter and toilet facilities to the many school children we engage with.

“Each year we engage with around 1,000 children visiting Elba to take part in environmental education sessions, it would also mean we can run activities out of the building when we hold community events.”

How the hub will look

The community hub will comprise of steel shipping containers clad in timber and sat on a plinth in the park, with the method of construction aiming to reduce disruption to the park’s wildlife.

Andrea added: “The building needs to be sustainable and cover its own running costs.

“We hope to rent space to community groups to help cover this, there is also the potential for rental space for a small café or shop if the demand was there.”

Elba Park is a 53 hectare space owned by the Land Trust – a national charity which owns and manages a large portfolio of parks and green spaces.

Groundwork North East & Cumbria have managed Elba Park on behalf of the trust since it opened ten years ago.

Over the years, Groundwork have worked with the community on various projects, including education sessions for local schools, volunteer and conservation sessions and community events.

Elba Park has held a ‘green flag’ status for seven years under Groundwork North East’s management, with the charity also supporting the ‘Friends of Elba Park’ community group.

During consultation on the new building, Sunderland City Council’s highways, environmental health and ecology teams raised no objections.

Planners later approved the community hub on Wednesday, April 8.

A council decision report goes on to say: “The proposal will provide a base from which Groundwork North East can manage the wider site and from which they can support the conservation of the Wildlife Corridor and enhancement of this green space.

“Further to this it will provide an opportunity for the neighbouring community to interact with the area and gain a wider understanding of the flora and fauna on site whilst ensuring that the area is protected.”

For more information about the development, to become involved with work at Elba Park or for any other queries, email [email protected].