Can establishing a right of way be prelude to attempted development upon open land?

We live in an inner city area but are lucky enough to have open space and fields at the end of the road, which is rich in wildlife, even deer. There have been attempts to develop on this land in the past which have been stalled. A recent application has been posted on the land to establish a right of way (the applicant is anonymous). I am probably over suspicious and would love the idea of greater access to this land, but might it be a back door route to development?