A Jersey Shore town and a coastal environmental group have settled a long-running lawsuit that will allow public access to a beach, while allowing the end of a street leading to the beach to be sold to an oceanfront homeowner.

The borough of Deal, located just north of Asbury Park, the American Littoral Society and a private homeowner said Tuesday they have settled their lawsuit.

It calls for construction of stairs leading to the beach, and for the town to maintain them “in perpetuity.”

The lawsuit involved just one of numerous instances in which beach access advocates accused Deal of trying to discourage public access to its taxpayer-funded beaches.