New car park plans approved for Sunderland pharmacy

Plans to boost parking at a city pharmacy have been given the green light by council development chiefs.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for the Redhouse Pharmacy, which sits off Renfrew Road in the Redhill ward.

The pharmacy shares a wider site with Redhouse Medical Centre, which is understood to be one of the longest-established practices in the area.

Plans submitted back in September, 2023, aimed to change the use of vacant land near the pharmacy and medical centre to create a new parking area.

It was noted that the plans were ‘part-retrospective’ and included the erection of a new perimeter wall to enclose the new parking area.

A planning application stated the development would boost parking spaces across the site from 24 to 29.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it in November, 2023.

Council documents described the proposed site as a “small area of amenity open space and hardstanding” which has housed both a substation and garages over the years.

Council planning officers, in a council decision report, said the removal of green space on the land would not “affect the character of the area to an unacceptable degree”.

The decision report added that the development met the requirements of a council policy focused on developments and their visual impact.

This included developments “being of a scale, massing, layout and appearance which respects and enhances the positive qualities of nearby properties and the locality and clearly distinguishes between public and private spaces”.

Council planners said the change of use of the land “did not raise any visual concerns” and that the materials “matched the surrounding buildings”.

The council decision report added: “Proposals for the development of green space will be considered in light of their contribution to urban regeneration and the importance of such space to the established character of the area.

“The removal [of a] small area of green space in the proposal would not be considered to affect the character of the area to an unacceptable degree and as such the principal of the development is considered acceptable in this instance.”

During a council consultation exercise on the plans, local Redhill ward councillors John Usher and Alison Smith did not raise any concerns about the development.

It was also noted that a recent site visit by the city council found that “the perimeter wall had been constructed, but no parking bays marked out”.

For more information on the plans and council approval decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/01946/FUL