Home Putting Melton First Saving the War Memorial Hospital Hill House Project Craven Lodge Messages & Support News Releases Clippings Archive Contact 09/09/2010 16:22 Hill House Project Hill House Project - Benefits Hill House Project supplies 'triple bottom line' benefits, across social, economic & environmental areas Maintains & enhances all listed buildings, develops parkland & demonstrates Melton's rich heritage Site remains accessible to all for foreseeable future Provides employment & training & adds to the diversity of the local economy Becomes a major event location & focus point in Melton Mowbray Innovative 'green' technologies are to be used for all construction work Hill House Park & Ride Scheme will improve the street environment & opportunities for local trade - to be discussed in depth with Leicestershire County Council Uses best practice to become the largest fully sustainable development of its type in Western Europe, providing a template for best practice, a focus for eco tourism & raising Melton's PR profile Uses solar power to provide power for Hill House Project & the surrounding community Uses rain water recycling for use in all Project buildings & for growing crops Undertaking a full waste audit & incorporating a system of reduce / reuse / recycle on site to reduce amount of waste going to landfill Running a full composting system on site, reused for growing plants Joining an office paper recycling scheme & reusable carriers, ' bags for life' If possible, being a base for recycling bins & encouraging the local community to recycle through advertising the Hill House best practice waste management schemes Employing specialists to train others & incorporate such technologies into site as a whole Running an effective environmental management system, seeking full accreditation to ISO 14001 standard Full biodiversity checks to be staged over all seasons to produce a full & accurate picture of the biodiversity on site All trees removed will be replaced with others of local provenance to sustain & improve the landscape Rare East Midlands tree & flora to be grown, to protect for future generations Preservation & enhancement of aesthetic site value, by correct care of tree & plant specimens & creation of wildlife garden Conservation & development of birdlife & small mammals across the site Geotechnical survey to be carried out to determine the suitability of the site for built development & the effect on drainage from any possible removal of trees or other works Archaeological survey to be conducted by English Heritage, or to their specifications Full Tree Preservation Order survey to be conducted Regional planning guidance to be confirmed through the Local Authority Feasibility for integration of the site with the riverside & river bridge to enhance community use Investigation of the reintroduction & use of original Victorian gardens & glass houses Local suppliers will be considered to provide materials & labour Fixtures & fittings will be sourced from local designers & craft workers Food will be grown & sold on site, with involvement of local people Hydro culture plant centre developed, to improve environment & reduce 'importing air miles' Other locally / regionally produced foods to be featured & sold on site; cheeses, meats, wines etc in cooperation with local Farmer's Market & assistance of other growers & makers Local artists will be commissioned to design / theme Hill House hotel bedrooms & leisure areas Entire site will provide gallery & exhibition area for work by local artists, designers & craft workers Hill House Project involves the community in social enterprise Members of the community will be involved in all aspects of Hill House Project, from initial set-up to day-to-day running of individual resources, marketing & communications, educational & training programmes, sales outlets, as guides, drivers, gardeners, tree & plant specialists, researchers etc Job creation & training are paramount, from the areas of ecology, through 'green' building & environmental installation techniques on site (installation of solar power, rain water recycling etc), in catering & event management, to arts & hotel management Local volunteering will be encouraged to enable local people to 'own' the Project Local people involved in community service orders will be invited to assist in site activities Full access will be available to people with disabilities & job opportunities will be available for those with learning difficulties Encourages more people to take part in design, arts and craft Improves the link between creativity, culture & health, through arts & music therapy provision & exhibitions by artists linked by common health issues Facilitates IT opportunities for designers & artists in mixed & digital media, including film making Provides studio & gallery space & is an incubator to young local art & craft worker businesses Working with colleges & universities to develop methods to retain skills at local level and facilitate young entrepreneurs in the sector Offers showcase & support for local & rural businesses in the creative & cultural sectors, raising the cultural profile of the area Provides the means for the public & corporations to buy from local artists & craft workers Promotes creativity, culture & ecology in life long learning, across all ages and abilities Provides full educational facilities & a safe environment for mobile educational units Educational facility incorporates all key stage topics, particularly maths, English, history & IT Opportunities for schools to link with Hill House Project via curriculum planning, through Art & Design, Design & Technology, & Environmental Studies courses, and others TBC Integrates the waste management system to planned educational programmes Establishes working links with companies with design interests & design institutes Holds national design competitions, with local residents on judging panel Encourages public / private sector partnerships to sustain creative & cultural enterprise Works with partner agencies to raise awareness & interest in creative and cultural industries Provides site-wide community access to a wide range of creative, cultural & ecological opportunities Melton's low crime rate enables safe public space environment without walls to create social separation Uses 'no broken windows' policy & facilitates projects for young people to promote citizenship & divert from crime Encourages young people's involvement in ecology, horticulture & wildlife conservation Mass planting, paths, seating, lighting and 'natural' play facilities for children & young people will encourage increased use by all sections of the community Significantly improves Melton's resources through provision of event, hotel & restaurant facilities for parties & coach groups, with a site open to all Smaller outdoor event area suitable for events 500-1,000 persons, depending on type of event Noise-focusing performance bowl ('New Technology in Action') & larger outdoor amphitheatre, suitable for audiences of c. 3,000 - figures according to Health & Safety guidance Outdoor event areas & other facilities may be linked to & used by existing local events & people; Country Fair, Melton Show, Paint the Town Red, Melton Christmas Pageant etc Indoor events areas, gallery & exhibition space, restaurant seating capacity, number of hotel bedrooms, all to be confirmed Introduces cultural & ecological tourism to NE Leicestershire Contributes to the revitalisation of the market town by building & supporting an ecological, creative & cultural economy & encourages sustainable regeneration Enables formation of working partnerships, with agencies including English Heritage, English Partnerships, Living Streets, Campaign for Rural England, English Nature, local schools, Brooksby Melton College, Melton & District Civic Society and others Builds relationships with the media through property, horticulture, conservation, ecology, development and the arts. Prepared by Melton First for Melton, Rutland and Harborough PCT: 8.4.04 Also in this section: Hill House Project - Introduction... Hill House Project - Proposal... Hill House Project - proposed Site Plan... How you can help the Hill House Project... Read some of Melton First's many letters of support, and send us some of your own...! Melton First       -       From the Land to the Hand