Campaigners who want to turn a disused military camp in "extremely beautiful" downland into a village green were at the High Court today as the landowners engaged in a legal battle with the local planning authority.

Barbara Guthrie, from Winchester, has applied to Hampshire County Council to register Bushfield Camp land as a village green to protect public access.

The Church Commissioners for England, who own the land, are challenging the council's decision to proceed with a public inquiry to consider her application.

Lawyers for the Commissioners, who wish to develop part of the site as well as provide public open space, are asking High Court judge Mr Justice Collins to deliver a knock-out blow and declare that Mrs Guthrie's application was not made within statutory time limits and it would be a waste of "considerable" amounts of money to continue with the inquiry.

Jonathan Karas QC, appearing for the Commissioners, told the court: "She (Mrs Guthrie) has not been expeditious as she should have been."

Council lawyers are arguing the Commissioners' judicial review challenge is "misconceived".

Mrs Guthrie and her husband, Charles Jennings, are at London's Law Courts for the two-day hearing with other members of the Bushfield Down Supporters Group.

She said outside court: "The camp is in extremely beautiful downland south-west of Winchester and looks out over the cathedral.

"It is very, very important recreational land. It is a fabulous area with really lovely resources which have been in public use for over 50 years.

"I fear that daily access will be severely affected by restrictions if we do not get it registered as a village green."

Mrs Guthrie said the 68-acre site was popular with local people for walking, cycling, kite flying, picnics and other activities, adding: "It is wonderful for tobogganing when the snow falls."

Planning laws allow the public to apply for areas to be registered as town or village greens if it can be shown that significant number of people have used them for "lawful sports or pastimes" for a period of at least 20 years.

A key issue in the Bushfield Camp case is whether Mrs Guthrie beat a crucial deadline to make her application.