Residents stroll to victory in 21-year footpath saga

Dale Simpson has lived in Risley since 1981 and gave evidence at the public inquiry

It may have taken more than two decades, but campaigners in a Derbyshire village are finally celebrating victory in their quest to bring a footpath back into use.

Residents in Risley told a public inquiry a landowner had blocked the path in 2003 and pleaded with Derbyshire County Council to recognise it as a legal public right of way.

The case was ultimately taken to the Planning Inspectorate, which ruled in the residents' favour.

However the landowner says he is disappointed by the outcome and still disputes the route was ever a public footpath.

People in Risley provided evidence they had been using the footpath since the early 1980s

Residents in Risley say the footpath off Bostocks Lane near the M1/A52 junction was closed off by the landowner in 2003.

There then followed a long-winded process to establish whether there was a public right of way over the path.

"We realised that it may take a few years but little did we know that 20 years on it was going to come to this," said Dale Simpson, who has lived in the village since 1981.

"We were so determined because we felt that we'd been done wrong."

John Harker, from the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society, says the legal process was "time-consuming and very daunting"

Mr Simpson's wife Susan led the campaign and was supported by the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society.

John Harket, from the society, said: "The case was finally referred to the secretary of state in 2021 and I stepped in to help.

"Although the path itself might seem fairly inconsequential and not particularly scenic, it does form a link in a chain which is very important.

"Cases like this do drag on and on and on."

Eight residents gave evidence to the inquiry, stating that they had been using the footpath as a right of way since the early 1980s.

The Planning Inspectorate subsequently found in their favour.

Landowner disappointed

A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: "We are pleased to confirm that this matter has now concluded and Risley Public Footpath No.19 is now on the Definitive Map and Statement for Risley Parish.

"Like many authorities across the country, we have a large number of DMMO [Definitive Map Modification Orders] applications and each case is different, with some more complex than others.

"They require a lot of work and research and unfortunately it is not unusual for the more complex cases to take a long time to conclude."

Nigel Cotton, who owns the land and has lived nearby since 1957, said: "This was never used as a public footpath and I'm disappointed with the outcome of this long-running dispute.

"Historically the path was used to access a 'Pick Your Own' farm during the summer season but was always closed off over the winter."