PROTESTORS refuse to believe assurances that access to a woodland reserve is not earmarked for a new road to Darlington golf club.

There is access from Barmpton Lane to Skerningham Manor, whose owner, Mr Martin Corney, is involved with the Tees Forest Partnership in a countryside gateway project.

But Mr Brian Pavey, spokesman for about 200 residents, said: "We have heard the golf club is prepared to tarmac the road and put in security cameras in exchange for usage rights.

"If that were the case there would be traffic on it from early in the morning until late evening when there were social events"

He added: "The Tees Forest gateway and access for the disabled to the car park would then become so much eyewash."

But Mr George Storey, golf club secretary, replied: "A story like this is going to sour relations between us and the community. This is absolute fantasy and we have never contemplated anything like this."

The residents have refused to accept the planning authority's June decision to allow the new access and car park in a field owned by Mr Corney.

They have written to the Ombudsman complaining at the way the decision to grant planning permission was reached and are ready to pay for a barrister, if necessary, to continue their fight.

"We shall not give up in our quest to save our countryside from destruction by those seeking to make money at the expense of others," said Mr Pavey.

This week they told the borough solicitor that if speculation over the golf club's interest proved to be true, they would mount a campaign to stop the road.

Recently they enlisted the help of Tees Forest in trying to broker an agreement for an alternative access.

Through those meetings, they first learned of the golf club's interest in shared use of the access road and that it - and Mr Corney - had aspirations to develop greenfield land near the urban edge. The area is not earmarked for housing in the Darlington local plan.

Mr Corney was quoted as saying that if planning consent was ever a possibility, one party or the other would be prepared to build a school as a planning gain. The golf club secretary also dismissed those claims.

A spokesman for Tees Forest said: "We tried to broker a solution so we could keep on good terms with everybody. Mr Corney and the council were willing to co-operate and were completely up front. But at the end of the day the campaigners have just stirred things up and offered nothing in return.

"I am extremely disappointed we have not been able to reach a conclusion which satisfied all parties. Everybody has been very open and honest about its intentions."

Mr Corney was approached by the D&S Times, but chose not to comment.