Skerningham woodland under threat from Darlington housing

Campaigners and councillors on Darlington Borough Council have been warned that the area, home to wildlife and protected species, is under threat as a new ‘distributor road’ could be built through it to serve the huge new estate. 

Up to 1,650 houses and facilities such as a GP surgery and schools could be built at the Skerningham Garden Village, to the north of the town, by 2036, with a further 4,500 homes planned on the site in the future.

The ambitious proposal has been earmarked in the council’s local plan but has received a mixed reaction from residents, with hundreds joining a campaign to oppose it. Key warnings among residents include the location of the new road and protecting the woodland area.

And despite assurances from the pervious Conservative-led council that the area had been ‘saved’ in January, the new Labour-led administration has now warned it could still be felled. 

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

Cllr Chris McEwan, cabinet member for economy, criticised the previous Conservative-led council for its treatment of the issue.

“The rhetoric of the previous administration made us think there was a solution to some of the thorniest issues regarding Skerningham such as access and also the wood,” he said.

“There were claims that the wood had been saved. The reality was the golf club decided to not move and the distributor road is still an issue, and to state that the woods should be avoided altogether would de facto conflict with the local plan and hence be unlawful. 

“I am also informed that following the announcement that the design code was ‘paused’ there was no formal request to officers to consult further and no instructions given on changes (which I find surprising given the passion).

“We cannot get away from the fact that the local plan states a local distributor road will be provided. As the detailed design of the road has not been carried out we cannot state it will not affect at least some of the wooded area, it would be unlawful to state this in the design code and would raise expectations – this is because the local plan is king and cannot be conflicted with the design code.”

It comes as cabinet members on Darlington Borough Council voted to approve the latest design code for the development at a meeting on Monday.

It is one of the first times the new administration has publicly addressed the controversial topic as it announced its desire to speed up the process after repeated delays over recent years.  

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“It’s heartbreaking to see Skerningham used as a political football”, councillors were told (Image: The Northern Echo)

Cllr McEwan stressed that although the design code sets out the rules for the site, it is not the definitive plan. And while he ruled out any further consultations taking place, he said more communication is needed.

“Whilst there has been engagement and consultation on the design code (which some say has been good - accepting that certain issues have not been resolved) - I do think that there is need for more on an ongoing basis if Skerningham does progress to master plan and then detailed planning application stage,” he added.

Former leader of the council and current head of the Conservative Party, Cllr Jonathan Dulston admitted his party’s performance in the 2023 local election was partly due to the decisions it made with regards to the local plan.

Campaigner and member of the Skerningham Woodland Action Group, David Clark told councillors that another consultation would only delay proceedings further but warned “it’s heartbreaking to see Skerningham used as a political football”. 

In response, Conservative leader cllr Jonathan Dulston said: "The decision to pause the design code in January was taken so that the previous cabinet
could clarify procedural and technical elements of the process which conflicted with initial advice we had received in early 2019.

"Whilst I accept that some elements of the local plan have been contentious with some communities, the Conservatives faced into this process and took decisions based on the aim to protect the Borough of Darlington as a whole from the very real threat of potential reckless development if we had not instated a local plan.

"I find it disingenuous that the new Labour and Liberal Democrat administration, who have consistently voted against this plan over the last four years, are now progressing with it without any significant amendments or any further consultation.

"To be clear, the local plan can be scrapped in its entirety, but both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, after years of opportunistic and damaging politicking, are now proceeding full steam ahead with the very policy decision that they have professed to oppose for the last 4 years."