Experts are urging council officials to save a “well used” path after a homeowner was accused of cutting a village in half by blocking it off.
The path, which runs past a cottage called Eldorado and is one of a network between houses in Balnaguard, near Ballinluig, was closed off after the owner built a new fence.
However he faces being forced to tear it down after officials decided his retrospective planning application must go before a council committee.
The application has attracted objections from other residents in the area, who claim the path has been in use for at least 60 years and believe it is a right of way to nearby Balnaguard Glen.
The Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee will decide whether or not the fence can remain.
One objector wrote on the council’s planning website: “I have lived in Balnaguard since 1955.
“I have seen many people over the years using the same pathway at the side of Eldorado to go up the hill or visit the SSSI.
“As the change of use has already taken place some months ago, it has split the village as we have always known it.”
Another added: “Balnaguard is an old village. Part of its character is the network of narrow roads and pathways that link all the houses.
“It is an intrinsic part of village life that we visit one another via this pathway and it is vital that it is maintained if the village is not to be split into enclaves.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Rights Of Way Society urged a rethink.
She said: “Although the path affected by the planning application is not recorded as a right of way, it is reportedly well-used and valued by residents of Balnaguard and others.
“It appears to form a vital link in the network of tracks and paths that make up the fabric of Balnaguard and as such is an important part of the village’s amenity.
“We are informed that Perth and Kinross Council’s planning policy defends well-used paths even if they are not designated core paths or recorded rights of way. As such, we hope that this route is protected for current and future generations of villagers and others to enjoy.”
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council confirmed the application would go before a committee but declined to comment further.
The owner of Eldorado did not respond to request for comment.
