The battle of the barriers: Villagers go to war over closed path

Villagers and ramblers are battling to tear down a blockade on a path which they say has been used as a vital link between two seaside communities for nearly 80 years.

Generations of local residents claim they used the unofficial path from the 1940s until a section of it was fenced off by a local landowner in 2015.

County council officials refused to enforce the removal of the barrier as the one-mile-long route between Hemsby and Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, was never a legally recognised footpath.

But now a public inquiry has been held to decide whether the controversial route should be made into a right of way so it can be opened again.

Locals told the hearing it should be declared a public path as it has been used continuously for more than 20 years.

They also demanded the 'safe and accessible' route be re-opened so it could once again provide an alternative to walking along a busy road or clambering over sand dunes.

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But the two-day hearing in Hemsby village hall last week also heard objections to the application from landowners on the route, who claimed it crossed private land.

The Winterton Valley Estate, which has 269 holiday chalets, defended the closure at the hearing, saying it had led to a reduction in anti-social behaviour.

And homeowner Joanna Richardson, who blocked a 100ft section that came through her land south of the Winterton Valley Estate, argued her lawyers had warned her she could be liable for damages if anyone was hurt on her property as it was not a public right of way.

The path, which runs through the Long Beach holiday park in Hemsby and the Winterton Valley Estate, was created by the RAF in 1946 when the site was used as a military base.

Its tarmacked surface made it suitable for prams and wheelchairs, as well as cars heading to and from holiday homes in the two communities.

But the path was blocked in 2015 by Ms Richardson who put up fencing - meaning the path through the holiday park was turned into a cul-de-sac, with fencing and undergrowth blocking any way through.

Ms Richardson told the inquiry how she had run-ins with people attempting to use the 'cut-through' when she was renovating her former home, Sunny Lodge, in 2014.

She blocked access following the legal advice and had since sold her chalet, although she retained ownership of the land which the path used to pass through.

'I could not sell it with all this going on,' she said.

Inquiry inspector Nigel Farthing, who is due to rule on the issue in the next few weeks, heard how 133 people had submitted claims to Norfolk County Council saying the route had been used as a public path since at least the 1940s.

Jane Roberts, 73, of Winterton was applauded as she told how she remembered walking the route as a young girl in the 1960s.

She told the Mail: 'I was born in 1951 and I am sure my parents would have pushed me along the path in my pram. 

'I have a 90-year-old cousin who lives in Hemsby and he used it as a boy as well.

'I thought it was absolutely dreadful when the path was closed off. Both my children are now in powered wheelchairs and it would have been great for them to use.

'There is a road between Hemsby and Winterton but it is incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. 

'I nearly hit a family when I came round a blind bend the other day.'

An alternative path between Hemsby and Winterton runs along the area of sand dunes next to the sea, known as The Valley.

But residents complained to the inquiry that it was not suitable for the elderly or infirm, let alone those in wheelchairs, due to the sleep slopes that had to be negotiated to reach it.

Retired research scientist Dr Richard Verschoyle, 82, of Winterton, has been trying to get the route added to the Norfolk's definitive map of rights of way ever since it was blocked.

Council officials refused his request, saying there was not enough proof that the path had been used continuously for at least 20 years.

He appealed to the Planning Inspectorate which said that there was potentially enough evidence, although the Winterton Valley Estate objected to the ruling, leading to the public inquiry being held.

Dr Verschoyle said: 'The main road is not very good for cycling because it is narrow and quite fast.

'I used to have an allotment in Winterton behind the church but when the barrier went up, I was on the other side, so I could no longer walk there.

'It meant I had to use the road. I did cycle sometimes, but it was so dangerous that I had to drive instead.'

His partner, Valerie Kendrich, 75, a retired learning mentor, said: 'It's just not safe to walk through the dunes if you are unsteady on your feet. We just want our path back.

'I have had a chalet here since 1982 and in all those years I could count the number of times I have seen anti-social behaviour on one hand. 

'It is rubbish to suggest that people would misbehave while walking on a path.'

Another resident who asked not to be named said: 'The people who want to walk on the path are mostly the older generation and certainly not the sort of people who would be vandalising anything or causing problems.

'I know people who have lived here for years and they cannot recall any problem with vandalism, even when the path was open.'

Retired hairdresser Angela Steggles, 72, said: 'The road is too dangerous to walk on. We live in Winterton and are registered to vote in the village, but we can't walk to the shops. It seems wrong.

'We have lived here for 14 years and have been coming to the area for 30 years, so I remember using the path.

'My youngest granddaughter is 21 and we walked her and the three older ones along it all the time. You can't get a pushchair down into The Valley.'

Ken Glister, 74, cycles through the holiday park most days, but has to turn round when he reaches the point where the path is blocked.

He said: 'I would 100 per cent like to ride right through. It is a great path to ride on and it should never have closed in the first place.

'I have spoken to people who live on the Winterton Valley Estate and they would love it to be re-opened so that they can easily walk to the shops in Hemsby.'

Retired telecoms worker Michael Howes, who was visiting from Epsom, Surrey, added: 'We have been coming here on holiday since I was a kid. I can remember walking through to the Winterton Valley estate as a boy.

'Last year I tried to get through the same way and I was really surprised to find it blocked. It should be opened again.'

Willow Zapfe, who was walking with her partner Simon Traube and their dogs, said: 'It would be nice to walk straight through to Winterton but we can't do that at the moment.

'We can get down into The Valley to walk along quite easily but there are older people who cannot. 

'There is a café in Winterton and it would be great if we could walk directly there.'

James Cole, whose family have owned the Winterton Valley Estate for a century, insisted the path had always passed through private land and there had been signs informing walkers of this since at least the 1970s.

He produced photographs at the inquiry showing 'private, no entry' signs along the disputed route and said the estate and owners of the holiday park frequently told people not to walk through over the last four decades.

Mr Cole said: 'After it was closed off in 2015, we noticed a big reduction in the amount of anti-social behaviour we faced. 

'Before that, we experienced lots of problems. It was like a tap turning off.'

But villagers claim they never saw any signs warning them they were on private land until more recently and were not told they couldn't use the path until it was suddenly blocked nine years ago.

Norfolk County Council declined to comment before the planning inspector's decision is announced.