Plans for woodland to be planted on former mine

The mine closed in 2020 and will be turned into woodland and farmland

Thousands of trees could be planted to create new woodland on a former coal mine.

Banks Mining has filed a planning application with Durham County Council to plant 36,000 trees at Bradley Surface Mine.

The mine, located near Consett, closed in 2020 after the council rejected plans to extend the site.

Banks said it wished to change its initial restoration plans "in response to national and local aspirations to increase levels of tree planting".

Under current plans, the former coal field will be turned into agricultural pasture, grassland, marsh and mixed woodland.

Part of the site will be given to Durham Wildlife Trust, while farmland to the south will be sold off.

The remaining land will continue to be owned by Banks Mining and is where it intends to plant the trees.

22 hectares of woodland

The company said it believed it could improve the restoration of the land by increasing the number of trees planted.

"We therefore propose to increase the amount of new woodland by planting these fields with mixed native woodland," it said.

The change in plans would see the amount of woodland increase from four hectares (9.9 acres) to 22 hectares (54.4 acres).

It would consist of 93% broadleaf trees, including pedunculate oak, hazel, crab apple, sessile oak, cherry, silver and downey birch.

A footpath will run through the wood, which has been deemed more "attractive" than the previously planned trail.

If approved, the trees would be planted by the Forestry Commission in November.