WHILE welcoming Devon County Council's unanimous decision to once more allow access to Vixen Tor, precedence shows that it may be several years before a final conclusion is reached.

Regardless of DNP records or permissive agreements, the council's decision was based on witnessed evidence from older members of the local community who for years had de facto access to the tor.

The present landowner was very happy to accept the scientific evidence from the original public enquiry that closed the tor to the public on the basis of proportion of rye grass; thus classifying it as farmland not moorland. Why then should collective testimonial evidence be less admissible?

Jim Harrison

Vixen Tor Access Group

jimsharrison@

hotmail.com