A LONG-RUNNING footpath row in Otley may be a step closer to finally being resolved following a decision by planners.

Residents have been lobbying Leeds City Council (LCC) to officially adopt 'Piggy Lane', which runs from Lisker Drive to Leeds Road, for years.

They provided evidence at the time in support of a claim that the route had been used for decades before it was effectively blocked off in 2007, when a householder put up a wall.

That evidence is still to be evaluated by the council, however, as the the Public Rights of Way department is working through a long backlog of cases.

Now, LCC has ruled against the landowner whose property, at 11 Lisker Court, is at the heart of the dispute.

He had applied for permission to knock down the house and replace it with two (initially three) terraced houses.

But the local authority has rejected the scheme on three grounds, primarily because it would "fail to reinstate an existing Public Right of Way, therefore having a detrimental impact on the amenity of residents and the area in general".

The council also found the proposed homes would overlook existing properties in Lister Court and be over-dominant and overbearing on neighbouring houses in Neville Road.

Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) has welcomed the decision.

He said: "I am pleased Leeds City Council has refused this unsuitable development and recognised that it would continue to obstruct the Piggy Lane footpath.

"I also hope this moves forward the day when legal action can be taken to remove the current obstruction on this path."

Trinity Rise resident, David Mowlam, who has been keeping an eye on Piggy Lane's slow progress up the Public Rights of Way's waiting list of cases, had objected to the new homes plan.

Writing to the department, he said: "I'm sure the council wouldn’t allow any such development to take place while the footpath is still in dispute.

"But perhaps you might feel encouraged to resolve the issue at last?

"It would be easier to tell him to knock down a wall than a house."

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