THE owner of a famous Dartmoor beauty spot has agreed to restore public access to the land ? if Dartmoor National Park Authority agrees to pay her almost £400,000. Mary Alford bought Vixen Tor and closed it to the public in 2003. Until then, although privately owned, ramblers and climbers had enjoyed unrestricted access to the tor for more than 30 years. There were hopes that the tor would be re-opened to the public under the new Countryside Rights of Way (CROW) Act ? but Mrs Alford won an appeal to inspectors and the land was removed from new maps drawn up after the act. The DNPA has faced mounting pressure from campaign groups and the public to back their drive to get the tor re-opened for access. Now members are due to meet tomorrow (Friday) to consider the authority?s position, following months of negotiations with Mrs Alford?s solicitors. In a report, DNPA chief executive Nick Atkinson said the owners of Vixen Tor have agreed to allow the public on the tor and have set out terms for a licence under which access could be arranged. Mr Atkinson said the move was welcomed and that it might be possible to achieve ?a practicable arrangement advantageous to both parties for informal access on foot and by climbers?. However, the financial terms suggested by Mrs Alford?s lawyers will prove the sticking point. Mr Atkinson said: ?The reimbursement of CROW Act costs is neither appropriate nor lawful, but it has been indicated by the owners that some form of acknowledgement payment will remain a condition of agreement in order to reflect their time, trouble, goodwill and costs to date.? Mr Atkinson said Mrs Alford?s legal team is claiming a one-off payment of £30,000 for this ?reimbursement?, plus annual payments for ten years of £35,000 a year, plus insurance and legal costs. ?There is a clear gulf between the sum offered by the authority, £1,500 a year for a ten-year access agreement, and the sums sought by the owners,? said Mr Atkinson. He said authority members could either conclude this gulf was so great no agreement was likely between the two parties and there was no justification for further talks or to make the owners a higher offer which was still affordable to the authority. But he admitted ?public discontent will be manifest? if talks failed and no agreement was reached and said in this case, the DNPA should consult with other agencies such as Defra and the Countryside Agency regarding resources in order to restore access to Vixen Tor. Mrs Alford?s lawyers say the terms of their agreement have been reached after consultation with with other advisors and careful consideration of her position. Mrs Alford closed the tor to the public following advice from her insurers over fears she could be held liable if a walker or climber injured themselves on the rocky outcrop, often known as the ?Sphynx of Dartmoor?.