Madonna Wins Ban On Ramblers
Pop star Madonna has partly won her bid to prevent ramblers from walking across most of her £9m country estate.
The singer claimed 100 acres of land at Ashcombe House, on the Wiltshire/Dorset borders, had been wrongly classified as “open country”.
She, and husband Guy Ritchie, said at a public inquiry last month their human rights would be infringed.
A ruling by the Planning Inspectorate said the public would not be given access to about half of the land.
The Countryside Agency, which is mapping parts of England to implement a new Rights of Way Act, had classified the land as “downland”.
Under the new law, this gives the public the right to access.
The Act states that the public can walk across any land appearing on the final map as open country – mountain, moor, heath or down – or registered common land.
But the pop star and Mr Ritchie appealed against the Agency’s findings.
Despite the Inspectorate’s decision, The Ramblers Association said it was pleased with the result of the inquiry.
“The national walking charity is delighted that half of the land contested at the public inquiry has been classed as open country and that walkers will have access to 54 hectares of beautiful downland,” the group said in a statement.
Source: BBC News
Pop star Madonna has won her bid to keep ramblers from walking across her £9 million country estate on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, according to the Planning Inspectorate.
A public inquiry ruled that the public has no right of access to 15 out of 17 contested segments of land within the 1,200 acre Ashcombe House in Tollard Royal owned by Madonna and her movie director husband, Guy Ritchie.
The row erupted after the Countryside Agency mapped out the celebrity couple’s estate under the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000.
Source: The Sentinel
Pop diva Madonna has won her bid to keep ramblers off her £9m country estate, the UK Planning Inspectorate said.
Madonna, who now wants to be called Esther, objected to walkers crossing a large part of her estate on the Wiltshire Dorset border because of privacy issues.
A public inquiry ruled that the public has no right of access to 15 out of 17 contested segments of land within the 1,200 acre Ashcombe House estate in Tollard Royal owned by Madonna and her movie director husband, Guy Ritchie.
The row erupted after the Countryside Agency mapped out the celebrity couple’s estate under the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000.
Madonna said she feared paparazzi would use the access to intrude on the privacy of her family including her two children.
Source: Sky News