FEARS are growing that some residents of a new housing development at the former Saw Mill in Addingham want to ban people from using a public footpath through their land.

Already the volunteer group Addingham Garden Friends has been banned from carrying out improvements on land surrounding the housing development.

The small housing complex between Main Street and Bark Lane lies next to the former mill dam pond which has a public footpath skirting its edge and leading out on to Main Street through the courtyard of three-storey houses.

But a notice on the fence surrounding the pond says: "The Saw Mills - Private Land No Access". It is not made clear what land this sign refers to but as it is next to the footpath walkers, not aware that they are on a public right of way through the site, could misinterpret the sign as barring their way.

The issue is raised in this month's Addingham Civic Society Newsletter, edited by Don Barrett, who is also a member of Addingham Garden Friends.

He says that the group had been working hard to improve the area around the sawmill dam by tackling the jungle of weeds, brambles and nettles that had grown up through years of neglect.

They were also trying to increase the variety of flora by planting and putting up nesting boxes to attract birds.

The newsletter says: "We were therefore very surprised to be told verbally that the residents committee had decided that we were no longer to be allowed on the land, and they have also objected to the parish council about people deigning to use the public footpath.

"They say that they have decided that they would rather pay a gardener to look after the area than accept our voluntary labour.

"We are very concerned that this will in fact mean that the area will again be neglected and revert to the wilderness that it had become.

"The inference which I draw from these events is that some, not all, the Sawmill residents would really like to close off public access to their domain even though they knew that there was a public footpath through the site when they bought their houses."

"Any move in this direction will be strongly resisted."

A Gazette reporter visited the site and spoke to a resident who identified herself as the chair-