Villagers Reclaim Historic Pathway to Alderfen Broad After Prolonged Dispute

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Decades-Long Path Dispute in Neatishead Won by Residents of Norfolk Broads

In a dramatic victory to the community, villagers in Neatishead have finally been able to access a 600-metre pathway leading to one of the Norfolk Broads' best-kept secrets, after years of controversy since the route was cut off by a local farmer.

The disputed track is a shortcut from the village to Alderfen Broad-one of the few private inland lakes remaining in East Anglia, noted for its wildlife and peaceful solitude. After years of contentious fighting-amidst claims of harassment and hostile confrontations with five whole years of applications, the Planning Inspectorate today backed the villagers. The quango, in charge of determining public rights-of-way applications, revealed their judgment which comes after a public inquiry was held last month.

A Trail Packed with History

The walk begins at Sow's Lake on Three Hammer Common and follows the woodlands in a southerly direction toward Alderfen Broad. This quiet location is not directly part of the main river system, yet it lies sufficiently close to the River Ant and Barton Broad to make it an exceptionally attractive natural haven.

Historically, this was a much-loved route for residents, especially dog walkers, providing a direct link to the broad. Land crossed by the path was originally left to Neatishead parishioners and then passed into the care of Neatishead Poor's and Fuel Allotment Charity, a group of charity trustees set up in the 19th century. As well as the land in issue, the charity manages the playing field and bowls green of the village and derives an annual income of £1,700 from lettings.  In 1905 the land in issue was 'allotments'. By the 1980s it had become farmland let to a tenant farmer.  
 
The Birth of Dispute

In 2019, villagers encountered sudden blockades along their well-trodden path: "No entry" signs cropped up, and physical obstructions ranging from fallen branches to heavy machinery, triggering tensions between the tenant farmer and the community. Skirmishes of verbal sparring and accusations of intimidation arose to paint a fractious picture of what had been a quiet village.

Not willing to see the path closed, some villagers merely cleared the obstacles in defiance of the closure and sparked off a more formal campaign led by one local resident, Gill Young, to establish the path as a public right of way. Her application, supported both by documentary records and statements from 20 residents who had walked the path for decades, was initially upheld by Norfolk County Council.

A Decisive Ruling

Despite opposition from the Neatishead Poor's and Fuel Allotment Charity and the tenant farmer, the matter was brought to a public inquiry at Horning Village Hall. Presiding inspector Nigel Farthing examined claims that no public access rights existed and such rights would undermine the land's leasing potential.

He ultimately determined that villagers had uninterruptedly used the path for one continuous period of 20 years from 1999 to 2019. Signs barring access, which were only erected in 2019, did not suffice to dismiss the claims of the community. Using the principle of "once a highway, always a highway," he ruled that the pathway should continue being accessible.

A Haven Rediscovered

Alderfen Broad is one of the less well-known lakes of the Norfolk Broads, but it has ecological importance given that its ancient tussock sedges give the area a wild and primeval aspect. This judgment reinstates a vital link with the community once more being able to access a treasured natural retreat and forms a testament to some of the more enduring powers of collective action.