A Metherell resident has issued a formal challenge to the closure of a Calstock footpath, arguing it is disproportionate and may be legally invalid.

Andrew Brown has argued that Cornwall Council’s decision to close the whole of footpath WCA 547, which runs between Newton Farm and Lower Brooklands Farm, for repairs was unnecessary, as only a section of the path was affected.

He said: “Closing the whole footpath without justification is disproportionate. There is no good reason why a sign saying ‘road ahead closed’ is not an alternative to closing the whole footpath.”

He has also argued that the council did not follow the correct procedure in order to close the path officially and is asking for the footpath closure to be withdrawn and any penalty charge notices cancelled.

The council has said that the footpath is closed to repair an unsafe retaining wall and will remain closed until May 2026. The council issued an emergency closure in November last year, followed by a temporary closure in December. It remains closed.

Cornwall Council has not responded to this newspaper’s request for comment.

The footpath was recognised as a public right of way in 2025 after an 18-year battle. The campaign began when walking charity the Ramblers attempted to register it as a public footpath after noticing it had been left off the Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way, the legal record of public rights of way in England and Wales.

But the registration proved controversial when the landowner opposed the move, arguing the route was a permissive path. The landowner had previously allowed small groups of local walkers without dogs to use the footpath, but did not want large groups using it.

In August this year, the Secretary of State for the Environment confirmed the order to modify the definitive map to mark the path.