Scottish Millionaire Bans Walkers

A Scottish millionaire has won a legal battle to prevent walkers from entering the grounds of her Perthshire estate making her the first private individual in Scotland to exempt her land from right to roam legislation.

It's a worrying precedent with the BBC quoting Ramblers Association Scotland director Dave Morris as saying:

"This gives a green light to landowners to go around the countryside erecting fences without planning permission."

Stagecoach millionaire Ann Gloag initially erected a fence around part of her estate and was granted retrospective planning permission, though intiially access rights were held to apply within the fence, however in a ruling at Perth Sherriff Court, access rights were denied for reasons of privacy and security.

The decision will set alarm bells ringing in Scotland which prides itself on its liberal access legislation compared to the rest of the UK. The right to roam legislation was one of the earliest acts of the newly formed Scottish Parliament.

There's now a 28-day window for an appeal against the decision to be lodged.

More details at news.bbc.co.uk