CAMPAIGNERS have won their fight to upgrade a footpath in Seend into a restricted byway.
The footpath has been closed for a number of years but, after a four-day public inquiry earlier this year, Government planning inspector Martin Elliott has found in favour of Wiltshire Council for the route to become a restricted byway open to walkers, horse riders and cyclists.
The footpath goes from Row Lane, at the steep hairpin bend over the brook at the parish boundary by Seend Head Mill, south to a metal gate on the A361 near the turning to Keevil.
It is on land owned by Robert Noad, who disputed it was a public road.
The decision means walkers will not now have to go down Bell Hill or use Baldham Bridge on the A361.
Lucy Garton, a horse rider who lives in Seend Cleeve, said: “It’s a great triumph for cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians. It’s important to have lanes where you can go without riding on busy A roads.”
The application was initially brought by Wiltshire Bridleways Association.
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