PLANS to open up a quiet Pickering footpath to vehicles have been sunk at the first attempt.
North Yorkshire County Council wanted to make the path between Undercliffe and the level crossing at Newbridge into a Byway Open to All Traffic, or BOAT.
A similar order led to the eventual reopening of Wells Walk following long campaign by reside
nts and a public inquiry last year.
But members of the county council's Ryedale area committee voted against the plans at their meeting last week after hearing objections from the public, including representatives from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Pickering & District Civic Society.
The county council had supported its recommendations by using historical evidence from the late 18th- century which revealed the path had been used by horse and carriages and the public.
A motion to defer a decision for further consultation with landowners, the public and to look at the impact on the environment was thrown out before councillors decided against making the path a Byway Open To All Traffic.
County Cllr John Clark said: "I'm absolutely delighted and I believe the right decisions was made. The committee looked at all sides of it but came down on the basis that it didn't justify being turned into a BOAT."
