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Dismissed11 April 20253357435

Land off Back Lane, Penshaw, Houghton Le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7ER

Planning appeal 3357435 at Land off Back Lane, Penshaw, Houghton Le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7ER (Sunderland City Council) was dismissed on 11 April 2025 by Inspector Clark L, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposed development would make adequate provision for biodiversity (BNG).

change of use of agricultural land to a secure dog field, new access from Back Lane, track and parking area

Authority
Sunderland City Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
leisure-sport · Change of use
Inspector
Clark L

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the proposed development would make adequate provision for biodiversity (BNG)
  • whether the proposal would comprise inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the development plan and the Framework, and the effect upon the openness
  • whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal would fail to provide adequate provision for biodiversity net gain, conflicting with Policy EN2 of the Core Strategy, which was not outweighed by the neutral Green Belt assessment.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy NE2Policy NE6Policy EN2
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 154

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.