Plans to increase park's car spots approved

The car parks at Herrington Country Park are often full

An award-winning country park will lose some of its green space after plans to expand its car parks were approved.

There have been reports of "inconsiderate parking" on grassy areas in Sunderland's Herrington Country Park since a a new cafe opened.

Sunderland City Council’s planning committee approved a scheme on Monday night which will more than double the number of available car parking spaces.

The committee's chair, Councillor Melanie Thornton, said that "no-one wants to see green spaces churned up by cars".

The park is the backdrop to the Grade I listed Penshaw Monument, as well as being a reserve for wildlife, hosting up to 100 species of birds.

The Love Lily cafe opened last year and its popularity has seen drivers parking on grass as they struggle to find a space.

Herrington Country Park is on the site of a colliery that closed in 1985

The plans will see Herrington Country Park's main cafe car park more than double in size, from 62 spaces to 129.

The park's smaller skate area car park will be expanded from nine to 33 spaces.

The plans also feature wider "biodiversity improvements", including a new "wildflower meadow" and drainage improvements to "alleviate existing flooding issues”.

A report which went before members stated that "very special circumstances exist" where the plans "clearly outweigh the potential harm to the green belt".

Councillor Stephen Foster said he did not think the council would "ever get on top of the amount of cars" using the country park but called it a "much-needed" scheme.

Councillors voted unanimously to approve the scheme, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Herrington Country Park covers almost 200 hectares and is on the site of a former colliery.

The park has won Green Flag Awards for the last 20 years and has hosted major events and music concerts, including BBC Radio One's Big Weekend and the Monument Festival.