The Ramblers’ Association (RA) this week (8th – 12th October) begins a ‘David and Goliath’ style legal battle against BMW in Oxford, who are attempting to block public access to a 2000 yr old footpath that over 400 people use every day.
The case, being fought in Witney magistrates court throughout this week, is the culmination of an 18-month campaign by the RA to prevent BMW from extinguishing a bridleway that runs through the grounds of its’ plant in Oxford.
The bridleway – a Roman Road - links the population of the Blackbird Leys estate with surrounding countryside and the village of Horspath. BMW’s own research suggests that it is used by up to 400 BMW workers, walkers and cyclists a day, to access the BMW plant and the green spaces in the North East of the city.
BMW first applied to the County Council to extinguish the path in May 2006, claiming that the path is unnecessary as they are willing to fund an alternative path. The planned alternative path will run for 1 mile along the heavily congested Oxford ring road. The RA has opposed the plans on the grounds that the path endangers the health, safety and wellbeing of pedestrians.
Adrian Morris, head of the RA’s footpath team comments: “BMW’s plans will deny hundreds of people per day a safe and quiet means of accessing work and the countryside beyond, endangering their health and safety as they are forced to trek along a busy B road.”
He adds: “This is a real David and Goliath scenario; BMW have assigned two barristers to the case and have even offered not to pursue costs if we drop it. However, we will continue to fight them in court this week because we believe that safe pathways are a basic right which cannot be undermined by huge corporations like BMW.”
The case goes to court today and a verdict is expected next week.
