A GROUP of villagers in Wardour have banded together to stop a historic footpath being moved after “incomers” complained it was harming their privacy and security.

Owners of The Priory, in the village, Alison and John Taylor applied to Wiltshire Council to divert a footpath away from their home, along with St Anne’s Cottage and Wardour Catholic Primary School.

In the application, the couple also pointed out the advantages for the school of removing the public and their dogs away from the school site.

It was proposed that the route would not run past the house and instead cut across a field and past an electricity sub-station to join the road to the village chapel.

But the plan received 30 objections, with many of those opposed to the scheme attending the meeting of Wiltshire Council’s southern area planning committee on Thursday.

Dr Mary Myres, who lives along the route with husband Simon, told the meeting that any diversion would have been a “massive inconvenience”.

“We would no longer be able to turn left or right out of our front door if we were walking.”

She added that Mr and Mrs Taylor spent most of their time in London and, since moving to the village, had removed the hedge from between the house and the footpath.

Former Wiltshire councillor Jeremy Hooper said the diversion was “unnecessary in practical terms”, adding: “it is partially being done because incomers buy the property and dislike the fact that the right of way comes just passed their front door”.

Others at the meeting said that Mr and Mrs Taylor’s “perceived lack of privacy” was “self inflicted” after the couple removed the boundary hedge.

Despite objections to move the path many agreed that work should be carried out to move the route away from the primary school, which currently runs through the playing field.

It is expected that a meeting will be held in the village to discuss ideas to move the path away from the playground.

The decision to reject the diversion was unanimous.

Committee member Councillor Christopher Devine said: “There is a lot wrong with that diversion. If footpaths are not there for local use then what are they there for?”