Derbyshire Villagers Secure Footpath Access After 21-Year Battle

After more than two decades, campaigners in a Derbyshire village are celebrating success in their efforts to reinstate a public footpath. Residents in Risley informed a public inquiry that a landowner had obstructed the path in 2003 and urged Derbyshire County Council to formally recognize it as a legal public right of way. The matter was ultimately referred to the Planning Inspectorate, which decided in favour of the villagers. However, the landowner has expressed disappointment with the outcome and continues to dispute that the route was ever a public footpath. According to Risley residents, the footpath, situated off Bostocks Lane near the M1/A52 junction, was blocked by the landowner in 2003. This action initiated a protracted process to determine whether a public right of way existed over the route. Dale Simpson, a resident of the village since 1981, remarked, “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.” He added, “We were so determined because we felt that we’d been done wrong.” Mr. Simpson’s wife, Susan, spearheaded the campaign, receiving assistance from the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society. John Harket, representing the society, stated: “The case was finally referred to the secretary of state in 2021 and I stepped in to help.” He further commented, “Although the path itself might seem fairly inconsequential and not particularly scenic, it does form a link in a chain which is very important.” Harket concluded, “Cases like this do drag on and on and on.” Eight residents presented testimony to the inquiry, asserting their use of the footpath as a right of way since the early 1980s. The Planning Inspectorate subsequently ruled in their favour. A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council confirmed: “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.” The spokesperson also noted, “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 explained, “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, the owner of the land who has resided nearby since 1957, commented: “This was never used as a public footpath and I’m disappointed with the outcome of this long-running dispute.” He elaborated, “Historically the path was used to access a ‘Pick Your Own’ farm during the summer season but was always closed off over the winter.”