Sunderland City Council approves plans for Elemore Country Park cycle hub

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee, at a meeting this week, approved a council application for land at the Elemore Country Park Café and Garden Centre in the Hetton area.

The newly-established country park aims to put the 61-hectare site back in the heart of the community after it was previously home to Elemore Colliery and then Elemore Golf Club, which closed in 2019.

In recent years, the land has been transformed into public green space with a community-run café and garden centre officially opening at the site in 2023.

Council chiefs have been working to make the park a community hub, with family music festivals being held at the site and grant funding being awarded to support community initiatives, as well as the installation of a play park to help keep children active and ongoing work to install a fitness trail.

Plans submitted to council planning officials last year (2024), sought planning permission to install more facilities at the park in the form of a steel container to be used for cycle storage.

A planning application from the country park’s manager said the container would be used as “cycle storage with a view to developing a cycle hub on site managed by volunteers.”

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Plans were officially approved by Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee on Monday, January 27, 2025, at City Hall.

Council planning officers, in a report published ahead of the decision-making meeting, had recommended the scheme for approval.

The committee report noted the development would be “used by the Coalfield Community Cycle Group for safe storage of bicycles” and would have several benefits.

This included “supporting the outdoor recreational use of the wider site” and “aiding in the public enjoyment of the wider park”.

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It was noted that the storage container would be “largely screened by the existing building to the north and west and the planting along the boundary adjacent to Elemore Lane”.

The council committee report added: “The storage container would lead to the loss of two staff parking spaces within the compound, however, it is noted that a large car parking area is situated to the east of the site, which can also be utilised for staff parking.

“The container would also provide safe storage for bicycles [and] the council’s future transport officer has considered the proposal and provided no objection with regard to highway safety or parking.”

For more information on the planning application or council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 24/02018/LP3