On Thursday 29th January 2026, a rather miserable and cold day, the people of the parishes of Stanstead Abbotts, St Margarets and Great Amwell had their opportunity to vote in a referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan. The Neighbourhood Plan has taken many years to produce and many individuals gave up their own time, throughout the long process, to consult with local people and create a plan that reflects local needs and aspirations.

The result of the referendum was a sizeable majority vote to support the Neighbourhood Plan. 500 for and 127 against. That’s 80% in favour!

On 4th March 2026, at an East Herts District Council full council meeting, the Plan was formally adopted, which means that our site in Netherfield Lane is adopted within the Plan and we are now putting together all the information needed to submit a planning application.

In order to deliver on our promise to Stanstead Abbotts Parish Council and all the local people we have encountered on our journey, we signed a Deed of Covenant with the Parish Council on 24th March 2026 to cap the number of residential dwellings to 60 units on our 8.75 acre (3.54 hectares) site. This is to protect the land and ensure that, whoever builds out a scheme on our site, the setting will be heavily landscape led and in keeping with the semi-rural surroundings adjacent to the property.

We have invested a lot of time and money in working up an attractive scheme, which takes into account the majority of feedback we have received over the years. The housing scheme will benefit from beautifully landscaped surroundings, a sustainable surface water drainage system, a methodology of construction to reduce carbon emissions, a mixture of housing types and, in keeping with East Herts DC’s requirements, a selection of affordable and community-led housing.

“This site was always intended to be developed with care and sensitivity. We believe this scheme honours our father’s vision — creating a landscape-led development that enhances the village while protecting its character.” Nikki Thompson, 2026.

There’s a lot of information to package together to submit our planning application so please bear with us! We will update you again with further news as we progress.