New car parks and improved drainage works to start at Herrington Country Park

Works at Herrington Country Park, which at over 320 acres is also one of the city's biggest park, are due to begin on Monday 17 February.

The park has had a 20 year run of annual Green Flag awards from Keep Britain Tidy and alongside its lakes, paths, play areas and wildlife, is known for its views of Penshaw Monument. It is also a major events space and hosts a weekly 5k park run and the annual Kubix festivals. This year's Kubix festival is due to be held on Saturday 12 July.

New car parking is to help meet its growing popularity and prevent inconsiderate visitor parking which has damaged some grassed areas and verges. The car park project was agreed as part of Sunderland City Council's ongoing investment budgets and maintenance programmes into the city and its infrastructure.

The City Council's Environment, Transport and Net Zero Portfolio Holder, Councillor Lindsey Leonard said: "We have unrivalled parks and green spaces in our city which are the envy of many. We all understand how important they are for the thousands of residents and visitors who access and enjoy them annually.

"But when the car parks are full we do get some inconsiderate parking and this in turn damages grassed areas and verges and can make parts of the park look unsightly. Increasing the number of parking spaces will help prevent this as while a relatively small grassed area is lost, even more is protected because drivers will not be parking on it."

The current number of spaces at the café car park is 62 with 55 of those being standard spaces, five are disabled parking and two are electric vehicle charging bays, and there are nine standard bays at the skate park.

The expanded car parking will see the existing car park close to the café expanded to a total capacity of 129 which includes five accessible bays, provision for seven future EV charging bays and four minibus bays. There will also be a new layout and improvements to footpaths, cycle and motorbike parking and landscaping. The skate park parking will increase to 33 standard bays with plans to create a wildflower meadow nearby.

Existing drainage will be upgraded as part of the project to mitigate current flooding issues occurring in the main cafe car park and on the highway leading to the skate park.

Cllr Leonard added: "We're continuing our City Plan for a more dynamic, healthy and vibrant smart city, and city parks are an important part of this work so that everyone can enjoy our outdoor spaces.

"We appreciate the patience of Herrington's many visitors while we carry out these improvements at one of our most popular parks."

This development is estimated to take 15 weeks and will be completed by June 2025. The park and businesses will continue to be open throughout with minimal disruption.