Decision day looms for scheme to revive vandal-hit pavilion in popular Sunderland park

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee will discuss a council planning application for the old “bowls pavilion” building in Mowbray Park.

According to planning documents submitted with the application earlier this year (2025), the building has been “altered/partially rebuilt from the original building” and the site has “stood vacant since approximately 2015”.

It was also noted that the site has been “subject to frequent antisocial behaviour and vandalism whereby the building is now in a state of disrepair throughout”.

A heritage statement submitted to council planning officials said repair works were being proposed to “consolidate the building and protect it from further vandalism and damage whilst work is under way exploring opportunities to bring the building back into use”.

The city council said the overall aim of the project included “keeping as much of the [building’s] original material as feasible, whilst at the same time ensuring it is protected as best as possible from damage”.

Works include “external timber repairs, gutter renewal, general decoration of timbers and render to the external and renewing the roof covering which is subject [to] regular vandalism and is currently in poor condition”, previous council planning documents said.

Plans propose “smooth concrete roof tile of a similar colour” to replace the existing “terracotta clay tiles”, a move which aims to “combat the continued vandalism and replacement of broken tiles whilst the pavilion is vacant and vulnerable”.

Meanwhile, the “corroded and damaged cast iron gutters will be replaced with aluminium gutters replicas to the same profile”, along with works to “replace rotten/missing decorative timber panels and decoration to the full building externally to improve [its] condition.”

Council planners, in a report published ahead of a decision-making meeting next week, have recommended the repair plans for approval, describing the development as the “proposed re-roof of building and external repairs”.

It was noted that Sunderland City Council owns and manages Mowbray Park and that the proposed works would provide an “appropriate balance” between conserving the character of the building and park and protecting the building from “ongoing vandalism.”

Comments from the council’s conservation officer, included in the council committee report, said the repair work was “urgently necessary to consolidate the building and protect it from further vandalism and damage until a new use [is] secured”.

The council’s conservation officer adds: “The works comprise a mix of like-for-like repairs and redecoration to external timberwork and render along with the replacement of the roof covering and renewal of the gutters with more durable and damage resistant materials.

“The roof is currently covered with clay tiles, many of which are lost / damaged from vandalism.

“The proposed replacement concrete roof tiles, whilst a non-traditional material, will have a similar appearance and be more resistant to the continued vandalism and more cost effective to replace whilst the pavilion is vacant and vulnerable.

“The corroded and damaged cast iron gutters will be replaced with aluminium gutter replicas to the same profile, again to provide a more durable and cost-effective repair solution for the vulnerable and vacant building.

“The existing cast iron downpipes are in good condition will remain in situ as evidence of the original material.

“Overall, the proposed repair and alteration work will provide an appropriate balance between conserving the character of the pavilion and significance of the wider Mowbray Park and protecting the building from ongoing vandalism.

“The works will have negligible impact on the essential character and significance of the designated Mowbray Park, which will be conserved

in accordance with [planning policies].”

Councillors on the Planning and Highways Committee will discuss and vote on the plans at a meeting on December 15, 2025, at City Hall.

The meeting is scheduled to take place from 5.30pm and will be open to the public.

For more information on the planning application, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/02345/LP3

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