DARTMOOR National Park Authority's Development Management Committee is teeing off for further legal action to halt the unauthorised use of land at Reddacleave Brakes, Reddacleave Farm, Dean Prior, as a golf course.

Members decided at Friday's meeting to move forward to secure compliance of an enforcement notice against landowner John Dance.

Mr Dance has had the golf course for around 20 years and has lost previous appeals, ­including in 2003 to use the land as a golf course for charity on no more than 180 days annually.

After that dismissal the authority prosecuted the landowner for non-compliance of an enforcement notice which was heard at Exeter Crown Court in June 2004. The jury failed to reach a verdict, a re-trial was not sought and Mr Dance was found not guilty of failing to comply with the extant enforcement.

The judge had reminded him that despite the outcome of the trial, he still had to comply with the notice, including stopping the golf and removing inappropriate earthworks.

Senior monitoring enforcement officer James Aven told Friday's committee that golf had continued to be played at Reddacleave despite the valid enforcement notice.

He said it was open moorland/agricultural land and engineering works had been carried out to several of the greens, including levelling and raising.

Mr Aven pointed out that golf could still be played by the landowner and his family informally.

Mr Dance said he had lived at Reddacleave for 45 years. 'I am not a here today gone tomorrow fortune hunter.

'For the past 20 years I have worked on a no profit, no gain project for the community. During this time there has been no damage to the flora or wildlife,' he said.

He forwarded a proposal that he continued to remove the earthworks by hand which would take about four years and ensure no damage to the flora or wildlife.

Mr Dance highlighted that there was a right of enjoyment of a person to his property in the Human Rights Act.

John Nutley said: 'I know we have to have standards in the park, but I have played here. I would call it a poor man's golf course. I cannot see this is doing any harm whatever'.

Stuart Barker said the committee had already been down the enforcement route and to the crown court, where it did not get a verdict.

'I don't consider that this is detrimental. I would like to see it restored as offered to the authority over a period of time,' he said.

But James McInness said if the authority did not enforce, it would be 'tipping the nod' to anyone else who wanted to create golf courses in the national park.

Moving legal action, Philip Sanders said it impacted adversely on the landscape.