Woodland will be ‘protected and preserved’ during the construction of a new garden village housing development if it is approved, a council has said.

Skerningham – a vast area of green space to the north of Darlington – has been described as the ‘lungs’ of the town and habitat for wildlife and protected species and residents have campaigned to protect the public-accessible woodland in the years since the huge proposal were launched.

The ambitious development has been earmarked in the council’s Local Plan for housing and community facilities but has received a mixed reaction from residents, with hundreds joining a campaign to oppose the proposal.

Up to 1,650 houses and facilities such as a GP surgery and schools could be built up to 2036, and up to 4,500 could be built on the site beyond that period.

Now, the council has pledged to invest in the woodland to make it more accessible for residents.

The Northern Echo: The Skerningham Garden Village would be a significant extension to DarlingtonThe Skerningham Garden Village would be a significant extension to Darlington (Image: The Northern Echo)

The latest announcement was revealed by Cllr Jamie Bartch, cabinet member for economy, at a full council meeting on Thursday night. It came after Darlington Golf Club said it would not be relocating to the Skerningham area and followed on from the developer Theakston’s commitment that they will not be building any house or commercial developments on the woodland.

The Skerningham design code has also been halted after the council faced criticism for holding a public survey on the key document over the festive period. A total of 102 responses on the plans were received.

Objectors say such a large extension of the town is not needed; however, the council says the garden village will not be a “sea of new houses”, rather a series of defined hamlets/clusters of houses with open areas between each, giving residents and visitors the chance to enjoy access to green spaces.

Cllr Bartch told the meeting: “Our administration is steadfast in protecting the woods and tonight I am pleased to announce that we are doing just that.

“We will be halting the design code process, in doing so I hope the code can have more time to be looked at and scrutinised.”

However, cllr Bartch was criticised by opposition members for his sudden announcement, which they said lacked detail.

The Northern Echo: The woodland area at Skerningham The woodland area at Skerningham (Image: Grecko Indie Media)

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Labour leader cllr Stephen Harker said: “Frankly, it isn’t good enough to produce a verbal report on such a significant development at a council meeting without any detail. I’m struggling to understand what it is you told us today.

“I’m really confused by what you’ve announced, I think it’s shoddy to do it in this manner without presentation. It is a huge development for this local authority.”

Campaigners say they still have reservations about what the last announcement means for the future of the site, with fears that a new access road will be created through the woodland a well as opposition to increased traffic on Barmpton Lane.  

The Skerningham Woodland Action Group says it welcomes the unanimous vote by Darlington Golf Club to not relocate nearer to woodland and that it is a win for the valuable biodiversity within the woodland, and for the people that walk through the area.

A statement added: "We welcome the guaranteed protection of the woodland from any and all future development, including the proposed 40 mph Skerningham distributor road not cutting through any of the woodlands.

"At the previous Design Code workshops residents' overwhelmingly requested complete protection of the woodland, including the road to be aligned to avoid Skerningham Plantation, locally known as Skunny Woods.

"Despite this, the developer requested the road alignment to still go through the woodland. We have yet to hear any assurances from Darlington Conservatives regarding this and look forwards to their next announcement confirming this.

"We trust that another consultation will openly and honestly take on board residents' views and incorporate them fully into the Design Code. Skerningham Woodland Campaign Group will continue to campaign for the protection of Skerningham and are opposed to all and any development in the area."