A landowner in Presteigne has said she will appeal a decision by Powys councillors that paves the way to creating a new public footpath going out of the town.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning, Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way committee earlier this month, a majority of councillors voted in favour of creating a new public footpath.

Councillors received a report on a “definitive map modification order” submitted by Presteigne Town Council on land in the town.

The application had been served on the former owner of Fold Farm, Susan Meadows, the daughter of the late Ted Breeze, but the current owners are Andrew Goodwin and Diane Bayliss.

The route starts on Broad Street in Presteigne and runs along a corridor of land past Fold Farm, which is known locally as “Fold Farm Lane”. This goes on to connect with registered footpath PR1807.

The decision was agreed by councillors because the evidence before them explained that the route had been used and those walking it had not been challenged by the former landowner, the late Ted Breeze, during a 20-year period from 1988 to 2008.

Deterrents to using the route emerged from 2010 onwards, with signs put up in 2012.

Fold Farm Lane path map
A map of the area which will now become a public path in Presteigne (PCC)

Ms Bayliss said: “We shall be appealing this decision.

“I feel this is the same as me and some friends saying I walked through someone’s garden over a period of time without challenge and it becomes a footpath.”

She stressed that until the appeal is decided, nobody has permission to walk the route, unless they live there or are visiting the residents.

Ms Bayliss said: “This lane has altered over the years, and this ruling affects more people living there.

“Residents have written within their deeds rules which they must follow, such as dogs must be on leads at all times.”

She feared that people walking the new route would not know these rules and that the decision creates a risk of “anti-social behaviour” occurring along the route.

Ms Bayliss explained that she sat in on the online meeting but was not allowed to speak or ask questions and claims that councillors who voted in favour of creating the footpath “were not made aware” of all the facts on this issue.

Likewise, residents against the proposal were also not allowed to present arguments against it.

Ms Bayliss said: “Even if a few people had walked this route, they were fully aware it was private land during this 20 years.”