Planning saga finally comes to an end over dog walking field

Fresh plans for a bookable 'dog walking field' in Sunderland's Penshaw area have been given the green light by council development chiefs.

- 

Fresh plans for a bookable dog walking field in Sunderland's Penshaw area have been given the green light.

Sunderland City Council's planning department has approved an application for land off Back Lane, near Penshaw Monument, following a lengthy planning saga.

An initial application submitted last year aimed to change the use of agricultural land to create a “secure dog walking field” with an access track and parking area.

Planning documents submitted by the applicant at the time said the development would include “one bookable field to be used for dog walking and exercise” and confirmed the fenced-off field would be “rentable for exclusive use” during daylight hours offering 60-minute sessions, with an online booking system to control the number of visitors and traffic movements.

Applicants added the plans would “alleviate pressures on other public open spaces” while providing a “useful facility for those with mobility issues or young children [...] as well as being a safe space for any anxious dogs, service dogs or dogs with behavioural issues.”

However, the plans were refused by Sunderland City Council's planning department on August 22, 2024, after council planning officers ruled the plans would “constitute inappropriate development within the Green Belt”.

Concerns included the “effect of activity along the track and car park resulting in an intrusive effect into the countryside, materially different to that which would reasonably be associated with a field or farm access”.

Another refusal reason included the plan failing to demonstrate that Biodiversity Net Gain (a way of creating and improving natural habitats) could be achieved on the site over the next thirty years, with reference to the “insufficient” level of detail provided in the applicant's 'habitats monitoring management plan'.