COUNCILLORS have been asked to divert a footpath around an alpaca farm in a moorland village.

The request will be considered by Blackburn with Darwen planning and highways committee on Thursday.

It has come from the owner of Pottery Farm off Roman Road in Eccleshill.

The committee has been advised to authorise the change to Public Footpath 5 Eccleshill.

A report to councillors says: "Each year public rights of way officers survey a random 10 per cent sample of the Public Rights of Way network to give an indication of the current state of the network.

"Several years ago Footpath 5 Eccleshill was surveyed and officers identified an obstruction of the route by gates at the entrance to Pottery Farm off Roman Road.

"The then owner of the farm when approached by officers regarding this obstruction insisted that the definitive line of the footpath was not through the farmyard but around an outbuilding joining Roman Road through the gap between the farm and Eccleshill Cottages.

"There then ensued a lengthy dialogue concerning the line of the footpath which was still unresolved when the farm changed hands in 2015.

"During the dialogue with the previous owner a concessionary route was waymarked around the farm which, although substandard in places, kept the route open for the public.

"When the farm changed ownership negotiations recommenced with the new owner who had bought the farm with the knowledge of the dispute.

"These negotiations culminated with the new owner accepting the council’s position and, as a result, the council received an application on January 12 2021 from the current owner of Pottery Farm requesting the diversion of Public Footpath 5 Eccleshill.

"The initial application sought to formalise the concessionary route but, as mentioned above, this was substandard in places with no scope for improvement.

"In addition, the new owner keeps and breeds alpacas which means that both the definitive route and the proposed diversion were subject to significant limitations, i.e. gates and stiles, in order to control the stock within enclosures.

"After further discussions the diversion route was agreed by all parties.

"This route is away from the area containing the alpacas which means there is less need for limitations on the route.

"The applicant has confirmed that the new path will be provided to a standard that is to the satisfaction of the highway authority."