Former Great Hallingbury pub The Hop Poles and its car park set to become new homes

A former Great Hallingbury pub is set to be converted into a new home, with a second home to be built in the premises’ former car park.

Proposals have been drawn up for the redevelopment of The Hop Poles at Bedlars Green.

Last orders at the grade II listed pub were last called more than 10 years ago and Uttlesford District Council (UDC) is recommended to grant planning permission.

The building is listed under the Planning Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest, according to the Historic England website. The site also states the pub site is named on the National Heritage List for England.

The proposals for the new home have been revised several times to minimise their impact on the pub’s setting and on neighbours’ amenities in the cottages to the west of the site.

Various changes have been made, including a reduced scale, footprint and massing, repositioning the new home two metres closer to the former pub, reconfiguring the parking and turning layout, design changes and additional dormers.

The conversion works of the former pub have been revised to replace the hipped roof extension, with a prominent lantern and elaborate detailing, with a flat roof extension of simpler appearance and plain rendered walls with windows that are in keeping with the design and proportions of the historic windows of the listed building.

Another revision was to replace the bifold doors on the east elevation with more traditional French doors.

A UDC officer’s report states: “The planning and heritage balances would favour the development.

“Consequently, when assessed against the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework taken as a whole, and as there are no other material considerations indicating otherwise, the adverse impacts of the proposal would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

“The proposals would cause low levels of ‘less than substantial harm’ to the significance of the listed building, Hop Poles – Grade II, and would lead to loss of employment use and land in Bedlars Green.

“However, the proposals would also bring the public benefit of securing the optimum viable use of the heritage asset and would use suitable brownfield land for homes within the settlement and promote the development of under-utilised land and the disused asset.

“The proposed development would not harm the open and rural character and appearance of the countryside or the Countryside Protection Zone and would not promote coalescence with the airport or the spread of built form in the wider landscape.”

Uttlesford’s planning committee is set to agree to the plans at a meeting on Wednesday (December 11).