Sheriff to make visit to estate

A sheriff is to inspect the mansion and grounds of a millionaire who is involved in a court battle to exclude the public from his estate.

Euan Snowie is challenging the "right to roam" legislation and will go to court later this month in a bid to ban ramblers and walkers from his property.

Mr Snowie's £4m Boquhan Estate is near Kippen, West Stirlingshire.

This week, Stirling Sheriff Andrew Cubie said he would visit the site later this month.

Mr Snowie and his wife, Claire, claim that allowing continued access to their land will "interfere with their children's rights to ride their ponies in peace".

Locked gates

They are also claiming invasion of privacy and want their entire 70 acres at Boquhan to be exempted from the Scottish Parliament's right to roam legislation which is included in the 2003 Land Reform (Scotland) Act.

Stirling Sheriff Court has already been told that a gate across the Snowie's estate was locked on 19 September 2005 and has remained locked ever since.

Following complaints from walkers and local residents, Stirling Council issued the couple with a written notice requiring them to unlock either one of two pedestrian gates adjoining the main carriage gates.

The council argues that 70 acres is unnecessarily large and that responsible exercise of access would not interfere with privacy.

The four-day hearing will take place at Stirling Sheriff Court at the end of May.

The action taken by Mr and Mrs Snowie is similar to one being pursued by bus tycoon Ann Gloag who owns Kinfauns Castle in Perthshire. A determination has not yet been made in that case.