Frustration as Australian landowner wants to block off two woodland footpaths

Residents have voiced their displeasure at a landowner’s plans to block two footpaths which they have enjoyed for decades.The patch of land has been used as a handy cut-through to reach the nearby school or hospital, a place to escape in nature or somewhere to walk the dog.However, the landowner – who lives on the other side of the world – is now looking to block off two footpaths that meander through the woodland, which is less than 150m wide.

John Tomlinson, who lives in Australia, is seeking to stop the public from entering Spring Wood in Gaywood.He has submitted an appeal to Government officials to overturn a 2022 ruling that confirmed the two routes as a public right of way.This has led to fresh fears among the community that the future of the woodland could be at risk, after a decade of campaigning to keep it open to everyone.

Despite questioning, Mr Tomlinson has not offered a clear reason as to why he is seeking to close the paths. Sources have speculated, however, that it may be due to concerns he could be liable if someone is injured walking through the site. A public inquiry has been scheduled for August this year, when the Planning Inspectorate – the Government department which rules over footpath disputes – will make a decision.Locals hope they can persuade officials the route has been used for decades, enabling hospital employees and school children to avoid walking on a busy road. WOODS WRANGLE

Spring Wood gets its name from the natural spring located among the trees.The woodland is within an area known as the Gaywood River valley, a rare chalk stream that rises near Derby Fen before flowing out into The Wash.It is sandwiched between two housing estates, with Springwood High School to the west and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the east.

Nearby is Reffley Woods, where a secret brethen the Sons of Reffley formed to venerate the chalybeate – rich in iron minerals – springs in the area for the rumoured healing powers of the water. The mysterious clan even built a temple there, while Spring Wood features a monument highlighting where the spring once bubbled forth.Locals have said Mr Tomlinson bought the plot in the early 2000s for about £50,000 and speculated that he perhaps intended to build houses there, but any attempts have failed to gain permission.Neighbours have become very defensive of the trees, which are under a protection order.Tree surgeons were stopped from carrying out council-approved work on some dead or damaged trees last year after police were called to the woods. Residents worried that birds nesting in the trees could be harmed.Martin Platton, a tree surgeon who has completed work for Mr Tomlinson at Spring Wood, has said he had to get councillor Jo Rust to speak to the community before carrying out work this month.His firm has said it is working with an ecologist to ensure no birds are harmed.Mr Platton sympathises with Mr Tomlinson’s plight. He said: “He spent all that money on a piece of land and now it costs him a fortune for the upkeep for the public to use it.”CAMPAIGNERS RALLYDozens of people have submitted evidence that they have used the route regularly for several years.Under common law, if people can prove a path has been used without interruption for 20 years, it can be protected as a PROW under the legal maxim, ‘once a highway, always a highway’. Peter Frusher, 71, has lived next to Spring Wood for 35 years.“People move here because of the trees and the birds that live there,” he said.“It would be a real shame if it is blocked.”John Hopgood, 50, and his wife Dawn, 45, have lived in the neighbourhood for 20 years. He said: “I’m a runner, so I use it every day, including when we walk our dog. We would miss it if it were cut off, as it would be a hell of a long way to go all the way around.“This helps provide a safe route. People working at the hospital use it all the time.”Rapik Mangaser, 26, a doctor at the QEH, said: “I would not recommend closing this off. For someone who likes nature, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.”Rob Colwell, a district and county councillor for Gaywood, has been campaigning to keep the woods open since 2016. He said: “People have used the woods since the estate was built in the 1980s.“I began campaigning to protect the woods in 2016 and protecting it is one of the reasons I became a councillor.“It is frustrating that he is trying to block it again.”Cllr Colwell has called on people to submit further evidence of people using the two footpaths through the woods to help bolster the case them open.The two-day inquiry is due to be held on August 12 at the South Lynn Community Centre.