Letter: We Believe Blocked Path Is An ‘Unrecorded Right of Way’

Published on: 26 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 29 Mar, 2026

“South Field” path on the Hog’s Back in July 2025

From Jacqui Brown

In response to: I Back the Toil of the Farmer

We appreciate the former MP’s continuing interest in the concerns of our local community but would like to challenge a number of claims in her recent letter to The Guildford Dragon NEWS.

We feel it important to highlight that the recently obstructed South Field path is not a “permissive path” but, we believe, an “unrecorded right of way”.

This path has been used for many decades “as of right” by the local community. In simple terms, people walked this path uninterrupted for well over 20 years “without force, without secrecy and without permission”.

To be clear, we are also big supporters of our farmers. Our claim is not with a farmer but rather the landowner, which in this case is The Loseley Estate. We would hope that The Loseley Estate is properly supporting all their tenant farmers in these difficult times.

We are aware that The Loseley Estate hasn’t engaged well with the local community in the past and were similarly horrified by the terrible destruction of Bummore Copse in 2025, which the current MP for Godalming & Ash, Jeremy Hunt, raised concerns about.

We were also greatly disappointed by manner in which the Loseley Estate managed the extensive tree felling on The Mount to address ash dieback in 2022; we are still waiting for The Loseley Estate to honour the restocking stipulation.

We fully support the members of our community that are attempting to engage with Loseley Estate but prefer to protect this beautiful path through the legal process available. We are currently gathering evidence of this usage for a Section 31 application to get a Definitive Map Modification Order.

If any of readers have walked this beautiful path on a regular basis (whether that use is current or in the past) and would like to support our claim please get in touch via email: southfieldwalkers@gmail.com

Responses to Letter: We Believe Blocked Path Is An ‘Unrecorded Right of Way’

Angela Richardson Reply

March 27, 2026 at 6:22 am

I refer the author to the reader’s letter published by The Guildford Dragon NEWS on February 12 by the chairman of St Catherine’s Village Association, Lorimer Burn, where he details the arrangement of a permissive path granted by the landowner with relevant signage erected at the time stipulating that is was a permissive path fifteen years ago.

I would, as would other local residents, expect Mr Burn to have a very good grasp of the recent history, details and relationship with the Estate regarding the path.

Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford