A WOODED area with scenic views across to Roseberry Topping could be opened up to the public.

Nunthorpe Parish Council is looking to rent the woods at the end of Church Lane for a small annual fee from Middlesbrough Council, which currently owns the land.

Vice-chair of the parish council and leader of the voluntary group, OurGreenways, Wade Tovey said: “It came to me on Remembrance Day while talking to a farmer as to who owned the triangular-shaped wood.

“I seem to recall that Scouts used to go in there. But it has since been closed off and the Scouts have long since gone.

“So, it is owned by Middlesbrough Council and I had a couple of meetings with people and they said we could rent it for a peppercorn rent.”

The views from the woods are stunning and would likely be a draw for local people.

Cllr Tovey added: “If you had a couple of benches at the edge of the wood facing Roseberry Topping it would be really quite nice.

“But on the other hand, we don’t want to raze the woods to the ground, we want to maintain biodiversity, birds, birdwatchers and all that kind of thing.

“But it would be nice to come to the woods, sit there and look out at Roseberry Topping.”

However, more work will need to be done to ensure they can open up safely.

Cllr Tovey added: “On looking through the woods with somebody from area care, there were trees in danger of falling on the road so they were taken down.

“But there are some other trees that are somewhat dangerous and we couldn’t open the woods to the public, certainly wouldn’t be covered insurance wise until those trees were removed.

“In order to make those trees safe, it’s going to cost us £9,000 which is quite a bit of money.”

The parish councillor has been applying for various grants to help fund the project including from Tees Valley Nature Partnership.

It will also need to be supported by volunteers in the local community to get it up and running and then maintain the area.

The parish council chair, Morgan McClintock, agreed for the group to commit £1,000 to the project with the possibility of a further £500 if needed.

He added: “This would be a step forward for us and I think we should show our commitment to the green agenda.”