Guy Ritchie has footpath diverted around his airfield

Telegraph

2 hours ago

Guy Ritchie has had a public footpath that has been in place for more than 130 years diverted around his land.
The Hollywood film director changed the direction of the path, which crossed the grass runway at Compton Abbas Airfield in Dorset, which he bought in October 2022.
While it is believed the footpath has been in existence since 1888 without any problems or accidents, Ritchie's Ashcombe Estates claimed the diversion was needed on safety grounds.
The new path goes around the edge of the airfield and runway and is 1,640ft longer than the established route.
Ritchie, 56, requested the change in March, and it has now been officially certified as a legal route.
Compton Abbas parish council initially objected to the proposal, arguing it would negatively affect public enjoyment of a long-standing right of way.
It said the previous route had good all round visibility and took about four minutes to walk, whereas the new path was more than double the distance.
Dorset council unanimously voted to approve the order at a meeting in March and sent it to the Secretary of State for a final decision.
The parish council then withdrew its objection, meaning the decision could be rubber-stamped.
The airfield is near Ashcombe House, the country estate on the Dorset-Hampshire border, which Ritchie previously shared with Madonna until they divorced in 2008.
The celebrity couple had previously tried to prevent access to a large part of their 1,370-acre estate after claiming it had been wrongly classified as 'open country' in 2004.
A public inquiry ruled that the public had no access to 15 out of the 17 pockets of land, but two tracts, which amounted to nearly half the disputed area, should be open to the public.
The ruling meant walkers would not be able to go within sight of the couple's home.
The Ramblers Association said at the time that it was 'delighted that half of the land contested at the public inquiry has been classed as open country'.
Ritchie and Jacqui, his second wife, split their time between their London home and Ashcombe.
Since buying the airfield, Ritchie has renovated it and started offering Spitfire flight experiences, turning it into a visitor destination with events held throughout the year. He recently opened Lore of the Sky, a smokehouse restaurant, at the site.
The changes coincided with the relocation of the test area for aircraft, which is now further away from any public path. The flying community is said to be 'very supportive' of the changes.
A spokesman for Dorset council told the BBC: 'The decision at the strategic and technical planning committee was to refer the confirmation of the order to the Secretary of State, this was because we had an objection.
'However, after the meeting, the objection was formally withdrawn and therefore Dorset council was able to confirm the order itself.'