A ROW over access to two footpaths in Burntbarrow Woods looks set to be resolved after an eight-year struggle.

A government planning inspector will hear arguments from Storth villagers and Dallam Tower Estates at a meeting on March 30, before deciding whether the paths should be open to the public.

The estate blocked access to the paths in 2007, leading two members of the public to apply for them to be added to Cumbria County Council’s (CCC) Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way.

The applications received were accompanied by 38 rights of way evidence forms from local people claiming to have regularly used the ways on foot for pleasure over the last one year to 47 years.

But landowner Dallam Tower Estates objected to the claim saying that since 1975 they have carried out various actions to prevent public access.

The landowner states that from as far back as 1993 they had regularly erected signs and barriers which had been destroyed or taken down and had tried to ensure that walkers stick to the recorded public footpaths and not deviate into the wood.

A report was presented to CCC’s Development Control and Regulation Committee of CCC on June 5 2013 advising that this was “a complex and borderline case with conflicting evidence.”

The council had initially said there was no reason the footpaths shouldn’t be added to the definitive rights of way map, but has since adopted a neutral stance after hearing objections from the estate.

On June 28 2013 CCC made an Order under Section 53 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and after an objection was received from the landowner the Order was sent to the Planning Inspectorate for resolution.

About 50 members of the public attended the Burntbarrow Footpaths Public Enquiry at the village hall last week.

After two days, during which witness evidence from both sides was heard or presented, the Inspector arranged for a continuation of the enquiry to take place at the village hall on March 30 at 2pm.

Local resident Philip Hine said: “I can see the estate’s point of view but the villagers’ stance is that they’ve used these paths for years and they want to carry on using them.”