The Rights of Way Committee of Northumberland Council met on Wednesday 17 June 2026 to consider evidence regarding the status of several alleged byways open to all traffic. The committee was scheduled to review applications to upgrade existing public footpaths to byways open to all traffic in the parishes of Bamburgh and Rothley.

Review of Alleged Byway Open to All Traffic No. 21, Parish of Bamburgh

The committee was scheduled to consider evidence relating to Public Footpath No. 21 in the Parish of Bamburgh¹. The application sought to upgrade this route to a byway open to all traffic (BOAT), connecting the northern end of Byway Open to All Traffic No. 20 at Fowberry to the western end of Byway Open to All Traffic No. 22 at Greenhill. The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to consider evidence supporting and refuting the existence of public vehicular rights over this route. The report pack also noted that this route had been the subject of previous applications and legal challenges, with an inspector having previously determined that while public motor vehicular rights existed over the ends of the route, the central section was no more than a public footpath. The current application was based on new evidence not available at the time of the previous decision.

Review of Alleged Byway Open to All Traffic No. 17, Parish of Rothley

The committee was scheduled to review evidence concerning the U4053 road in the Parish of Rothley. The application sought to upgrade this route to a byway open to all traffic (BOAT), connecting the C162 road and the B6342 road via Tuthill/High Hartington and Gallows Hill. The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to consider evidence supporting and refuting the existence of public vehicular rights over this route. The report recommended that there was sufficient evidence to suggest public vehicular rights had been reasonably alleged to exist over the route from point T to U, and that the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006² would not appear to have extinguished these rights.

Review of Alleged Byway Open to All Traffic No. 18, Parish of Rothley

The committee was also scheduled to consider evidence regarding the U4054 road in the Parish of Rothley. This application sought to upgrade the route from the B6342 road, west of Tuthill, in a general westerly direction via Low Fairnley, to Fairnley. The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to consider evidence supporting and refuting the existence of public vehicular rights over this route. The recommendation was that sufficient evidence existed to show that public vehicular rights had been reasonably alleged to exist over the route from point V to W, and that public vehicular rights existed on a balance of probabilities over the section from W to Y. However, it was recommended that there was insufficient evidence to show public vehicular rights over the section from Y to X. The report also suggested that the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 would not appear to have extinguished public motor vehicular rights over the V-W part of the route, but would appear to have extinguished them over the W-Y part.