Path shut for a year over land ownership row

The council is now hoping to reopen a footpath in Hove after a row over who the land belonged to

A well-used path has now been shut for almost a year amid a row between homeowners and a city council over who owns the land.

The narrow path, known as a twitten in Sussex, in Woodland Drive, Hove, has been closed since October last year after a wall blew over in a storm.

Brighton & Hove City Council said it had been speaking with the householder who owned the wall to get it repaired, but the house has since been put up for auction with no repair having taken place.

However neighbours on the other side of the twitten said the path was on private land and they had been allowing permissive access since moving in 22 years ago.

“I feel appalled [that it’s taken so long], it should have been sorted a long time ago,” said resident Dawn Harper.

“We’ve found it very inconvenient, we can’t quite understand why it has got to this point,” said Jacqui Bell.

“I’m sure the shops have lost some trade from it, people are using cars when they can just walk because they might not be able to walk that far," said one resident, who asked to remain anonymous.

Signs and a camera set up by the neighbours near the entrance to the path

Brighton & Hove City Council says it has now confirmed it as a public footpath with a legal order which means work can start to reopen it.

Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm, said a structural engineer visited the site last week and their report is expected “imminently”.

He said the council could then submit a notice allowing it to remove unsafe sections of the wall and reopen the path.

Mr Muten said: “We have contractors ready to do the necessary work as soon as the notice has been submitted.

"We’re continuing to remove any notices on our highways which claim this is private property. It is not."

He added: “I want to reassure residents everything is being done to get the footpath reopened quickly and I’m confident this can be done very soon.”

The neighbour involved in the dispute was approached for comment but declined.