Barrington has accepted the donation of several acres of wetlands at the end of Peck Lane.

The Town Council approved the donation at its most recent meeting. At best, the parcel could be used as a hiking trail or for public access to an adjacent piece of land already owned by Barrington.

“It’s almost all wetlands, primarily,” said Town Manager Peter DeAngelis Jr.

The parcel is not suited for development, according to both the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission. Accepting the land, therefore, would prevent it from being developed inappropriately.

Both boards voted unanimously to accept the donation. 

The lot adjoins a 9-acre lot and will serve as a buffer from encroachment on its eastern edge, according to a letter to the Town Council from Cynthia Fuller, chair of the Conservation Commission.

The parcel also has a small water body that flows into nearby Hundred Acre Cove. Town control of this water body will help to protect it and also serve as flood control in the event of high water levels, according to the conservation commission letter.

There is almost no direct access to the parcel. The paved portion of Peck Lane stops about 100 feet from the land.

“We did not go after it,” added DeAngelis. “We’re really not getting a whole lot. But it was an opportunity to expand conservation land.”