On 15 April 2003, a High Court Challenge was lodged into the Adoption of the Castle Morpeth Local Plan.

That challenge related to land at the rear of 80-100 Runnymede Road, Darras Hall Ponteland and specifically challenged the decision made at Policy Committee on 13th February 2003 and ratified at Full Council on 27th February 2003 to include that area of land within the restriction of Policy PH3. It was also claimed that Castle Morpeth Borough Council had failed to comply with certain aspects of the 1999 Development Plan Regulations, relating to failure to provide reasons for a modification and failure to make available copies of the plans relating to that particular site.

Prior to the matter being heard at the High Court, Castle Morpeth Borough Council conceded that the plan had been modified prior to adoption without full justification and that the proposals map needed to be amended accordingly.

The matter has now been reconsidered at Policy Committee and at full Council on 18th December 2003, the Council resolved to adopt the part of the local plan which relates to the area of land to the Rear of 80-100 Runnymede Road with the boundary of Policy PH3 defined as to exclude the paddock to the rear of 80-100 Runnymede Road, but include the woodland within the remit of the policy. This is shown on the map below. The statutary notice of adoption was published on 19th February 2004.

Based on the 2003 Landline Data with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Crown Copyright LA077453. Unauthorised Reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Castle Morpeth Borough Council, July 2003