​Note: The Management Committee wrote to the Group's members on 1 June 2022 advising that it had decided not to campaign for a 'no' vote In the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) referendum on 23 June.  The reasons for this decision were set out in the Chair's message to members: see document on the Group's Campaign page. 

The draft NP was approved in the referendum, with 372 people (80.17%) voting in favour and 92 people (19.8%) voting against.

The Action Group was concerned that the draft included, among the sites allocated for future housing development, the field to the rear of The Bull. Punch Pubs had already submitted, in anticipation of the approval of the NP, a planning application to build six properties on this field.  This would have entailed building an access road through the car park and bisecting the pub garden.

The Group was concerned that development of the field behind The Bull would do nothing of itself to arrest the pub's recent decline and would, indeed, be likely to exacerbate it, increasing the risk that the pub would cease to be viable at some point, with the result that Punch Pubs would want to close it and sell it off as a residential property.  

The Group believed that the housing development would make the outside areas of the pub less attractive for customers because of the addition of the access road and that it would virtually eliminate the scope for the pub to adapt and develop to changing circumstances. Go to the Group's Campaign page to see the correspondence which the Group (and its founder members) had with the Parish Council and Punch Pubs about this matter. 

The application was withdrawn on 13 May 2022 but a new pre-planning application was sent to the District Council on 26 May 2022, including a new commitment to invest in the pub's infrastructure if planning approval was given.  See the page on Punch Pubs' proposals for more details. 

The Group considered, moreover, that there was no need for the draft NP to allocate this particular site for housing since a much more satisfactory site was available, having been purchased by a housebuilding company (Hill Residential).  Outline plans showed a development of some 30 houses on part of the land behind Hill House (the former Barn School), 40% of which would be affordable.  (Although the provision of affordable housing was said by the Parish Council to be one of its top priorities, none would be provided by the development sites allocated by the NP.)  The provisional proposals also include community benefits, including the allocation of a public open space and the provision of a plot of land for the school.

The Parish Council maintained that it could not have included this site as an allocated site since it was not available by the time the draft NP was submitted to East Herts Council in February 2021.  However, the site was advertised for sale in July 2020, with the particulars making it clear that a very quick sale to a housebuilding company was intended.  The Parish Council did not take any action to follow this up, saying that it had no knowledge of the sale till the company concerned informed them of the completion of their purchase in April 2021.

It is also clear that there was no need for the Parish Council to regard the deadline of 31 March 2021 for submission of NPs as a fixed deadline: four other comparable villages did not meet this deadline and the District Council confirmed that it was content for submission to be delayed if progress was clearly being made. 

Subsequently, Hill Residential has pursued its plans for the Hill House site.  It has commissioned an Affordable Housing Needs Survey, a copy of which has been sent to every residence in the village.  The survey has to be returned by 15 January 2024.

The final version of the Much Hadham Neighbourhood Plan is at: https://cdn-eastherts.onwebcurl.com/s3fs-public/2022-11/Much%20Hadham%20Neighbourhood%20Plan.pdf 

Hill Residential Ltd's original outline plan for the Hill House site is below.