Wicklow councillors will today debate a controversial proposal to remove almost 50 rights of way and other walking routes from the county development plan.
The Irish Farmers' Association, which has been invited to address the meeting, has led a campaign to drop 14 rights of way and 33 "access routes" from the plan.
Campaigners for greater access claim the move would turn large parts of Co Wicklow into "no-go" areas for walkers.
The rights of way listed in the current draft of the plan include well-known walking routes such as the Bray to Greystones pathway and the climbs up Bray Head and the Little Sugarloaf. Farmers and other landowners have made over 260 submissions opposing the list.
There is further controversy over 33 access routes, which include walks up Lugnaquilla and Djouce mountains, even though they have no legal standing and the plan states they cannot be upgraded without the consent of landowners.
Council officials, who could not be reached for comment, favour omitting the list and setting up a committee to deal with the matter. Mr Paddy Healy, chair of the Wicklow IFA, said his organisation did not recognise any right of way unless it was referred to in property deeds. "We're not anti-walker, we just want respect for property."
"One of these routes goes straight through a farmyard, and that's no place to have a right of way. You wouldn't want someone putting up a picnic table in your front garden, after all."
He cites insurance problems and damage caused to trails by scramblers and quad-bikers as other reasons for the IFA opposition.
According to Green councillor Ms Deirdre de Búrca, many of the rights of way were Mass paths, coach roads or other traditional routes. She fears other counties may follow Wicklow's example if the IFA campaign succeeds.
"I don't think 14 rights of way for a county like Wicklow is too many. How are we to develop our tourism potential if we don't preserve access?"
The Occupiers Liability Act passed in 1995 gives considerable protection to farmers from any legal liability for those crossing their land, she said. "One could understand the farmers' outrage if the legislation was very weak, but that is obviously not the case."
Fine Gael councillor Mr Derek Mitchell has called for a compromise which would omit rights of way which are disputed. He also said that the Bray-to-Greystones right of way no longer existed, because erosion has led to it falling into the sea.
Keep Ireland Open, which campaigns for greater access for walkers, said the removal of the rights of way from the plan would send out the wrong message.
"If these go, the message will be that large parts of Co Wicklow are a no-go area. It would say: you can walk in Coillte or National Park lands, but nowhere else," said Mr Roger Garland, a spokesman for the group.
