THE battle to save a popular footpath from being wiped off the map was won when a planning inspector overturned a decision to give it the boot. Walkers were up in arms when the owners of the Rockwood Estate applied to close a section of Witley 139, a popular path running to the east of the property, which is near the A286 Haslemere Road. The plans would close around half of the one km path, which is 250 years old and predates Rockwood House itself. Although the owners of the estate agreed to replace the lost path with an alternative route, many walkers said the path was a vital link to several walkways. Surrey County Council's south west area office believed the path was rarely used, and agreed to axe the section of the path. The owner had complained that the section of footpath was overgrown, proving it was rarely used, and a representative from the council agreed that the path did not seem to have been walked on recently. However, inspector Heidi Cruickshank said in her report that, when she visited the path, it had been well-trodden and obviously used. She conceded that this may have been as an effort to keep the path open, but added that if those people who had used it during the appeal time continued to do so, then it would make sense to keep it open. She also disagreed with the council's claim that the only objector to the proposal had been the Open Spaces Society, stating she had received evidence from 55 users of the path. The Open Spaces Society also bolstered its claim to keep the path open, standing on the path and collecting 73 statements from walkers. After the decision was made to keep the path, The Open Spaces Society's local representative, Ralph Holmes, said" "It's a victory for common sense. We know of 73 people that use the path, and no doubt there are others. "Many are dog walkers and most are very local people from the Brook area. "I am very pleased they will still be able to walk along this attractive route close to their homes." Gervase Boote was one of the local residents who was particularly active in the campaign to save the path. Mr Boote, who has used the path with his wife for a total of 45 years, added: "There is huge relief that the footpath will now remain open to be enjoyed by present and future generations. "This is thanks to the combined efforts of many local villagers, The Open Spaces Society and Witley Parish Council. "Together they have halted the proposed closure of this footpath." The inspector did, however, tell the inquiry that Surrey County Council had done as much consultation as necessary during the process, telling the campaigners that an extinguishment application required far less consultation than a planning application. And she also defended the decision to hold the meeting in Guildford, which was criticised by campaigners at the time because not everyone could get there. However, the inspector stated in her report that: "I asked whether anyone was aware of any person who had not attended due to the choice of venue - no-one said this was the case". She added she was "satisfied no-one had been prejudiced" by the decision.