COUNCILLORS have been accused of missing out on a "unique opportunity" to create a community woodland in Darlington.

Almost £70,000 worth of land was to have been given to Tees Forest for planting in Low Skerningham, Barmpton, if permission was granted for the conversion and rebuilding of disused barns.

That would have been matched with landfill tax credits to buy more land, leading to the creation of more than 40 hectares of woodland.

But at a meeting of Darlington Borough Council's planning committee, members rejected the proposal, claiming it did not meet local and national planning guidelines.

Tees Forest project director Glenn McGill told the committee the plan would provide Darlington people with easy access to the countryside.

"Tees Forest has spent two years trying to put a financial package together," he said. "This is a very attractive site within the Tees Forest. It fits within the Tees Forest vision for Darlington. It also is a unique opportunity to create a countryside gateway."

Darlington farmer Martin Corney wanted to turn the barns - including a Grade II listed building - into five houses.

He originally planned to include a visitor centre and car parking but dropped that in favour of extra tree planting.

There were six letters of objection, including one from the Council for the Protection of Rural England, to the plan.

Planning consultant John England, on behalf of the objectors, said the tree planting scheme was simply an attempt to make an "unsuitable and harmful" development more palatable.

"It's nothing more than residential development in the countryside," he said. "It would be urbanisation of the rural landscape and would set a precedent for other similar developments."

Disappointed at the decis-ion, Mr McGill said a valuable opportunity had been lost.

"It will make it more difficult now to develop that site. There is so little money available for the environment.

"The amount of planting we would have been able to secure with this application would have been significant."