Walkers win fight to keep wood footpath

RESIDENTS in Swyncombe will be able to enjoy a walk through Thick Wood for the first time in three years.

A public right of way was established through the beech wood plantation earlier this year after residents challenged a landowner’s decision to block a footpath that had been used for decades.

The footpath became threatened in November 2022 when the non-resident landowner blocked the path while carrying out works.

When challenged, he refused to clear the path and continued to push for access to be blocked on the grounds of privacy and concerns about littering.

David Crowther, who lives in Swyncombe, is a member of the Open Spaces Society, based in Henley, and joined other residents to challenge the landowner.

He said: “The path was enjoyed by everybody in the village. There’s even an old clay pit where the kids play. It has been part of the scenery ever since I arrived in 1997.”

Initially, Mr Crowther spoke to the landowner to suggest a permissive footpath. He said: “It’s only locals who ever walk through that wood and we do litter picks every year, so I told the landowner we’d be happy to include Thick Wood.”

When the landowner refused to consider a permissive footpath, Mr Crowther worked with Mark Alliston, who also lives in the village, to apply for a public bridleway.

The two gathered evidence of how the area has been used by the public and for how long, in the form of photographs and 17 written statements.

The evidence showed Swyncombe residents had used the path through Thick Wood unchallenged for at least 46 years.

Mr Crowther and Mr Alliston sent the evidence to Oxfordshire County Council to be reviewed.

Counter-evidence was submitted by the landowner and the council interviewed parties on either side before deciding to support the group’s application for a footpath, but not a bridleway.

Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said: “We congratulate the campaigners on their achievement.”