PLANNING approval for Darlington College of Technology's new £33m complex on a former British Rail goods yard may have to wait for a wildlife report.

Wednesday's council planning committee heard that English Nature had confirmed there were no bats on the site at Haughton Road, Darlington.

But the agency was only half-way through a 60-day study to find out if reptiles, including the great crested newt, migrated there from a nearby pond.

It was agreed that the director of planning should be given delegated powers to deal with the application, subject to a satisfactory survey, in order to ensure wildlife habitats were protected.

Adrian Miller, planning officer, added: "The recommendations might change slightly once we take that into consideration."

He said the college was part of a larger flagship development that was the subject of a master planning exercise by One NorthEast and Tees Valley Regeneration.

"The college will have a key role to play, linked into the future employment prospects of people in the town," he said.

The educational use was a departure from the local plan, but it was the only site within the built-up area that met the college's criteria.

A green travel plan and an environmental strategy are included in the plans and an archaeological survey will be carried out to establish whether there are any Anglo-Saxon or post-medieval remains.

"Officers and development agencies are satisfied that this development, carried out in isolation, will not prejudice the future development of the wider site, the subject of the master planning exercise," said Mr Miller.

The design of the building was considered to be of high quality reflecting the flagship nature of the site and would contribute significantly to the urban landscape.

The project was approved, subject to the wildlife survey, with a comprehensive list of conditions developers will have to follow.