Wealthy landowners have been forced to give the public access to a famously beautiful beach that has been blocked off for decades.
California’s 'hidden' beach will now be fully accessible to the public for the first time in 40 years after the state ordered that a new path to the coastline be built.
Escondido - which means 'hidden' in Spanish - has a reputation for its placid waters and golden sand, despite being inaccessible to most since the 1980s.
Homeowners in the area cut off access to the public, despite Californian law requiring that all land beneath the high-tide line be open to all.
Construction and complicated legal moves meant this didn't happen, with a thick hedge, a driveway and metal fences stopping people getting through and prompting a lengthy battle involving lawyers and the California coastal commission.
On June 7 it was ruled that the wealthy landowners would have to pay for a public access way to the beach, the Guardian reported.
The ruling means that a long, beautiful stretch of sand and clear blue water that lay tantalisingly out of reach from the nearby road can now be enjoyed by everyone.
Until now the only way to visit it was to walk round from a paid parking lot down the coast or walk through the restaurant Geoffrey’s half a mile away.
"Beaches are California’s crown jewels and public access is a core mission of our law. Access is for everyone, whether you live down the street or in the Central valley or you’re visiting from across the globe," said Donne Brownsey, the California coastal commission chair.
"We hope this enforcement action sends a message to other property owners who may be hiding or blocking access to the coast that it’s time return those beaches to the public."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive Frank Mancuso will have to demolish an un-permitted driveway that was present when he bought the property and pay a $600,000 fine, it was reported.
The family of Don Wildman, the late founder of Bally Total Fitness, were ordered to build the new access way, install five public parking spaces and a public toilet, as well as signs pointing to the beach.
The area surrounding Escondido Beach has long been home to some of the area's wealthiest residents, including Tom Petty, Jay-Z and Beyonce.
Mancuso and the Wildman family argued that they inherited the issues, but had not committed any wrongdoings themselves. They agreed to pay for the works, the coastal commission announced.
While the experience of going to the beach in the UK is generally quite different than in some Mediterranean countries, where access and sun loungers are controlled and need to be paid for, the laws around public access to British beaches are very unclear.
The majority of the beaches in England and Wales are owned by the Crown Estate - the King - but some have been sold off by the monarch to private landlords over the years.
A long legal battle that recently ended up in the supreme court could not decide whether holidaymakers had the right to be on privately owned beaches, of which there are hundreds in England and Wales.
