Access to sites and rights of way over narrow strips of land are usually subject to a straightforward negotiation. Unless there is a highway issue where pedestrians or vehicle traffic safety needs consideration, it’s usually just a question of value with a willing seller and a willing buyer. If the access to your site makes the difference between being able to proceed or not then the pathway, as you describe, becomes a ransom strip and you should be prepared to spend up to a third of your site’s value on securing this. You have implied that the council own the path and it will be their asset team therefore who you need to engage as well as the planners.

Tim Doherty (Build It expert)