As a local authority, the council has the power to go and clear the path, but throughout all of this it has refused to fulfil its duties

Ramblers' Association spokesman

The RA has also launched legal action against East Sussex County Council, alleging the authority has failed to fulfil its duties over the issue.

The dispute is now the subject of a public inquiry, after the county council sent evidence to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The dispute over the path, which runs close to Mr van Hoogstraten's �30m estate, has continued for 11-years.

He has described ramblers as "scum".

The 54-year-old plans to have a personal mausoleum built on the estate.

The RA highlighted the issue on a national level in 1999, because officials felt Mr van Hoogstraten's behaviour over the issue had become unacceptable.

As well as blocking the path with barbed wire and a refrigeration unit, Mr van Hoogstraten placed security guards on the public-access route, to stop people using it.

Nicholas van Hoogstraten called ramblers "scum"

The RA confirmed on Tuesday that the barn was still blocking the path, though renewed legal action was not expected to start until next week, after a further inspection of the site.

A spokesman said the dispute had aroused a large amount of public opposition and up to 2,000 people could potentially attend the public inquiry.

He said: "With the average public inquiry in to an issue like this, there are normally only about five or six antagonists involved, but this particular dispute has caused a lot of protest."

He explained that while the first court case against Mr van Hoogstraten in early 2000, it was the first time legal action has been taken against the county council on the issue.

"As a local authority, the council has the power to go and clear the path, but throughout all of this it has refused to fulfil its duties," the spokesman said.

Route diversion

"In the last year alone, we have requested two meetings with council officers and local councillors in the area, and both times they have refused on what, they claim, was advice from their legal department."

Neither East Sussex County Council, or Uckfield ward councillor Chris Dowling, were willing to comment on the issue.

The inquiry will look at a proposal to divert the access route, as an alternative to the barn's removal, which, according to the RA, is an unacceptable compromise.

A Defra spokeswoman said a public inquiry into the issue will take place, but she was unable to confirm a likely date it will go ahead.