About The Trust

Monken Hadley Common Trust (“the Trust”) is a registered charity which owns and runs Monken Hadley Common (“the Common”) - an area of about 74 ha of common land situated in north London, near the northern edge of the London Borough of Barnet - for the benefit of the public

The Common was originally created by the Enfield Chase Act of 1777, and under the terms of that Act it was held in trust for the Commoners; the Trust, which was formed on 30th September 2019 and was incorporated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 31st May 2022 (Registered Charity Number: 1199156), took it over from the original trustees on 1st December 2022 as provided for by a new Act of Parliament - the Monken Hadley Common Act 2022.

Most of the Common is registered under the Commons Registration Act 1965 and its status as a common was not affected by the change in the ownership of the land and, though the Commoners no longer play any part in its management, their grazing rights were not affected by this change, either, notwithstanding the fact that these rights have not been exercised for very many years.

Under the terms of its Constitution the Primary Objects of the Trust are:

• The preservation of Monken Hadley Common as a place for peaceful open air public recreation and enjoyment; and
• The conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the Common for the benefit of the public, having regard to the requirements of good forestry and the desirability of conserving flora and fauna.

Since the Trust is a membership-based charity it is the members who will appoint the future trustees, and it is therefore they who will ultimately be in control of it.

Draft regulations

The Trust has applied to Defra for approval of draft regulations for the management of the Common which it is entitled to make under the Monken Hadley Common Act 2022. The draft regulations can be viewed on this site and any comments that you wish to make should be made by email to Defra at accessheoteam@defra.gov.uk on or before 30 November 2024. You may also email comments to williamboyes@btinternet.com who is one of the trustees of the Trust.