The Rights of Way Committee of Northumberland Council met on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, to discuss several applications concerning public rights of way across the county. The meeting's agenda focused on reviewing the definitive map and statement of public rights of way, with particular attention given to alleged restricted byways and bridleways in various parishes.

The Fields, Hexham, Application for Village Green Status

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the application for village green status for land known locally as The Fields, situated between Southlands, The Leazes, and Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham. This application followed a non-statutory public inquiry, where an Inspector had recommended that the application be rejected. The committee was asked to consider this recommendation and determine whether to accept or reject the application for registration as a village green. The report outlined the statutory criteria for registering land as a village green, including evidence of lawful sports and pastimes, the duration of use, the locality of users, and whether the use was 'as of right'. The report detailed the land's location, its private ownership, and the objections raised by the landowner. The Inspector's report, which was provided to the committee, concluded that the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the whole of the land had been used for lawful sports and pastimes for the required 20-year period, leading to the recommendation for rejection.

Review of the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way

The committee was also scheduled to review the definitive map and statement of public rights of way in relation to several alleged routes:

• Alleged Restricted Byways Nos. 34, 36, 53 & 54 in the Parishes of Kyloe and Lowick: The committee was asked to consider evidence regarding the existence of restricted byway rights over two routes. Route 1, between the C18 road west of Catton Ridge and the U34 road west of Fenwick Wood, and Route 2, between the U1049 road at Holburn and the U34 road west of Fenwick Wood. The report detailed extensive documentary evidence, including historical maps and awards, alongside landowner objections and consultation responses from various organisations such as the British Horse Society and Cycling UK. The report noted that Route 1 had been the subject of a previous application that was not confirmed by the Secretary of State, but this new application included additional evidence. The officers' recommendation was to agree that there was insufficient evidence for public vehicular rights over parts of Route 1, but sufficient evidence for public vehicular rights over other parts of Route 1 and Route 2. The report also considered the impact of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 on potential motor vehicular rights. Ultimately, the recommendation was to include parts of Route 1 as a public bridleway and parts of Route 2 as a restricted byway in a future Definitive Map Modification Order.

• Alleged Public Bridleways Nos. 74 & 67 in the Parishes of Haydon & Hexham Town: This item concerned the review of evidence regarding public bridleway rights over a route between existing Parish of Haydon Public Bridleway No. 42 at Coastley Burnfoot farm and a point on the C234 road south of the Toll House, West Boat, Warden. The report included public evidence from the applicant, Ms D Holmes, detailing historical maps and documents, as well as landowner objections and consultation responses from organisations like the British Horse Society and Cycling UK. The report also noted the impact of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 on motor vehicular rights. The recommendation was to agree that there was insufficient evidence for public vehicular rights, but sufficient evidence to show that public vehicular rights had been reasonably alleged to exist over parts of the route. Consequently, it was recommended that the route be included in a future Definitive Map Modification Order as a restricted byway.

• Alleged Byway Open to All Traffic No. 68 and Restricted Byways Nos. 60 & 104 in the Parishes of Henshaw & Wark: This item focused on the review of evidence regarding public vehicular rights over a route between a point on the U7041 road east of Scotchcoultard and a point on the U5057 road immediately east of Coldcotes Farm. The report detailed public evidence, including historical maps and the Council's List of Streets, alongside landowner objections and consultation responses from organisations such as the British Horse Society and Henshaw Parish Council. The report also discussed the impact of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 on motor vehicular rights. The recommendation was to agree that there was sufficient evidence to show that public vehicular rights had been reasonably alleged to exist over parts of the route, but that the NERC Act 2006 would appear to have extinguished motor vehicular rights over certain sections. Therefore, it was recommended that parts of the route be included in a future Definitive Map Modification Order as byways open to all traffic and other parts as restricted byways.

The meeting also included standard agenda items such as apologies for absence, minutes of the previous meeting, and the disclosure of members' interests.

The information provided is based solely on the documents made public for the meeting and does not reflect any discussions or decisions that may have taken place. The status of the meeting was PENDINGCOUNCILPUBLICATION.