Post by Starchild on Mar 19, 2007 17:51:33 GMT
Gloucester Citizen
09:00 - 19 March 2007
A Woman who fought for more than 20 years to stop ramblers walking through her garden has won her battle.Barbara Snell has successfully campaigned to get a path at Sutton's Mill in Cranham deleted from a map used by walkers.
The path which runs yards from her home began appearing on the maps in the mid 1970s and had been used by ramblers over the years declaring it was a public right of way.
"We were always fairly sympathetic to them and let the odd walker through because my father was a walker," said Miss Snell, who is now in her 70s. "But we always pointed out it was not a public right of way."
It was not until the mid-1980s that she first noticed the route on the maps and started to look into the matter.
"The Ordnance Survey had updated their maps in 1976 and it showed the right of way path," she said.
Miss Snell approached Gloucestershire County Council and was told the path was submitted as a right of way by Cranham Parish Council in 1953, when maps were updated.
It was then that she began her epic battle to have the pathway removed from the maps.
"We would get parties of 40 or 50 people coming through," she said.
Around 20 years and numerous inquiries and appeals later, Miss Snell finally achieved her goal.
"In 2000 the county council was told to close it, then in 2003 a notice appeared saying it was to close. After objections, it went to a public inquiry and on January 26 a notice was put up saying the path would be closed.
"People had 46 days to register objections, which would take the matter to the High Court, so I waited the 46 days and then took the notices down."
Meanwhile Tony Drake, of the Gloucestershire branch of the Ramblers' Association, said the decision was "disappointing" and that protestors couldn't afford to continue the fight.
"It is grossly unfair to be expected to produce user evidence over 50 years after the rights of way survey was conducted - the whole point of the survey was to capture information from those then living," he said.
However, Miss Snell said she now enjoys a better relationship with walkers who use the nearby public footpaths.
"I do wave and pass the time of day with walkers, who are very nice," she added.
A Woman who fought for more than 20 years to stop ramblers walking through her garden has won her battle.Barbara Snell has successfully campaigned to get a path at Sutton's Mill in Cranham deleted from a map used by walkers.
The path which runs yards from her home began appearing on the maps in the mid 1970s and had been used by ramblers over the years declaring it was a public right of way.
"We were always fairly sympathetic to them and let the odd walker through because my father was a walker," said Miss Snell, who is now in her 70s. "But we always pointed out it was not a public right of way."
It was not until the mid-1980s that she first noticed the route on the maps and started to look into the matter.
"The Ordnance Survey had updated their maps in 1976 and it showed the right of way path," she said.
Miss Snell approached Gloucestershire County Council and was told the path was submitted as a right of way by Cranham Parish Council in 1953, when maps were updated.
It was then that she began her epic battle to have the pathway removed from the maps.
"We would get parties of 40 or 50 people coming through," she said.
Around 20 years and numerous inquiries and appeals later, Miss Snell finally achieved her goal.
"In 2000 the county council was told to close it, then in 2003 a notice appeared saying it was to close. After objections, it went to a public inquiry and on January 26 a notice was put up saying the path would be closed.
"People had 46 days to register objections, which would take the matter to the High Court, so I waited the 46 days and then took the notices down."
Meanwhile Tony Drake, of the Gloucestershire branch of the Ramblers' Association, said the decision was "disappointing" and that protestors couldn't afford to continue the fight.
"It is grossly unfair to be expected to produce user evidence over 50 years after the rights of way survey was conducted - the whole point of the survey was to capture information from those then living," he said.
However, Miss Snell said she now enjoys a better relationship with walkers who use the nearby public footpaths.
"I do wave and pass the time of day with walkers, who are very nice," she added.
