Don't forget the Allams are rich enough to have a legal team who are very smart and able to read and understand the SMC lease agreement, on the other hand lets just say the council members are not the brightest buttons in the box.
I used to work at Tata Steel, Den - we had a permissive road running from Santon to Scunny town centre, it was always closed once every year for 'essential bridge inspection/maintenance'. We gave the people living at Santon plenty of prior warning and despite much grumbling every year they had to suck it up and drive miles round.
The lease is what is written, people often understand those words differently and then it is up to a court to decide what and who is right. Not always but sometimes the better your legal team the better your chance to show to the court that your understanding of the agreement is the right one. Many were shocked that the Allams won the Airco Arena case, should the council have gambled even more of the local tax payers money?
There is no established time limit for a right of way. There is common law that defines what makes a right of way and it has stood the test of time
