Millionaire wants right to roam ban
21 Sep 06
Attempt to keep ramblers from 70-acre estate to protect family's privacy
A millionaire has asked the courts to exclude his land from the "right to roam" legislation as he fears ramblers would invade his family's privacy and interfere with his children's right to ride their ponies in peace.
Euan Snowie and his wife Claire want their 70-acre estate in Kippen, West Stirlingshire, to be exempt from the legislation. The scope of this exclusion would be much greater than that currently sought by the Stagecoach tycoon Ann Gloag, who wants to ban access to 12 acres of her home, Kinfauns Castle, in Perthshire. Her reasons are a fear of being kidnapped and the risk of theft of valuable jewellery and artefacts in the castle.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard yesterday that the Snowies had locked a gate across the driveway to their mansion in September 2005 and it had remained locked since. Ramblers and other local residents complained to Stirling Council, who issued a warning to the Snowies.
The Snowies then applied to the court to have the warning notice ruled illegal. The council argues that the exclusion zone is unnecessarily large and that access would not interfere with the family's privacy, or other activities such as horse-riding and shooting that take place on the estate.
Sheriff Wyllie Robertson adjourned the case for the application to be publicised in the local paper. Members of the public can attend and make representations at a further hearing.