A decision about adding a public bridleway to a popular wildlife habitat near Cockermouth has been deferred.

An application was submitted to Cumbria County Council to add the bridleway on land known as Soddy Gap, in Broughton and Broughton Moor.

However, recommendations were made to reject the application.

At a meeting of the council’s development control and regulation committee on Wednesday, Broughton parish councillors Sue Hannah and John Wilson put forward their reasons for accepting the proposal.

Nicky Cockburn, who represents Broughton St Bridgets on Allerdale council, also spoke in favour of the application.

The three councillors presented a map stating that the route being proposed had been in use prior to the land coming under the ownership of UK Coal.

Labour councillor Alan McGuckin said that old maps produced by the parish council clearly showed a similar path to the proposed route.

He said: “Clearly there was a throughfare to the pit going back to ancient times.”

Mapping officer Andy Sims said that he had only recently been made aware of the map produced by the parish council.

Coun McGuckin’s proposal to defer making a decision was unanimously backed by the committee.

Soddy Gap was registered as a community asset in December 2015, following an application by Coun Cockburn.

It is part of the 483-acre Broughton Lodge site, which is owned by Harworth Estates.

It was restored by the Coal Authority and comprises a large pond, two smaller ones, young trees, marsh, scrub and grasslands.

The site is widely used by villagers, walkers, runners, cyclists, birdwatchers and horse riders.

The land was put on the market in 2015.