Northumberland County Council has applied for a modification order to add an Alnwick path to the Definitive Map and Statement.
The route in question runs from Clive Terrace, immediately south-west of number one Clive Terrace, to Howling Lane, immediately north-east of Castle View Residential Home.

The track cuts across what was Clive Nurseries.

But a dispute has erupted over whether the track was ever a right of way. Support for making it an official footpath has come from people who say they used to cross that stretch of land for years.
Objectors, though, say that it was never a public right of way and that people who used it were in fact trespassing.

Speaking at the public inquiry yesterday, supporter Bryan Swordy, of Upper Barresdale, said: "I have used it and so have my children. We have always known it as a walk-through and a short cut."
Other supporters who filled out an evidence form said they knew the path to be public and many had used that stretch for a number of decades.

The inquiry heard that no footpath has ever been shown on previous maps or land searches and that when people had used the path in the past they were trespassing.

Dr Helen Ball lives at Clive Villa. The proposed footpath would cross the corner of her property.

She said that the alleged footpath had not been in continuous use for prolonged periods of time and it was not the intention of the landowners during that time to allow public access.
In a formal objection to the proposal submitted by Dr Ball she said efforts had repeatedly been made to prevent access and trespassers persistently vandalised any barriers that were erected.

And Stephen McClaren, of Clive Cottage, said: "Everybody who was using that footpath, apart from children, knew that it wasn't a right of way."

He added: "I hope it is not made a public right of way for many reasons. There is a safety issue here.
"The gap between my boundary wall and 1 Clive Terrace is not wide enough for car access and pedestrians walking alongside.

"I believe that on occasion, both past and present owners of Clive Villa have had to reverse back because of people short-cutting through this path."

He added: "And the anti-social behaviour there is ridiculous. If you open a public footpath it will be a disaster waiting to happen."
A decision is expected soon.