The couple behind a health and wellbeing centre which offers everything from acupuncture to aromatherapy, counselling and hypnotherapy, have announce big plans for their Leicestershire base.
Husband and wife team Alec and Stella Welton, who own the Archway Health and Wellbeing Centre, in Market Harborough, are planning a big expansion as part of what they are calling their “Green Neighbour Project”.
They said the plans are the culmination of several years of work in partnership with Zedpower architects, and follow discussions with Market Harborough District Council’s planning department and Lubenham Parish Council.
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The Solar Rise extension includes more consulting rooms, a coffee shop and public area, guestrooms with en-suite bathrooms for health stays, and dedicated studios for classes including yoga, pilates, nia and barre.
The scheme also includes new office space and eight self-build homes.
Mr Walton said the buildings would generate all their own power and heating as well as energy to spare – making them “energy positive”. Using sustainable materials in the build, he said they could also be carbon neutral within four decades.
He said they believed the scheme would be one of the most sustainable projects in the 海角视频.
He said: “We are acupuncturists by profession, practice owners by consequence and business owners out of necessity.
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“We have never built anything and are definitely not property developers – but we are passionate about sustainability and we care about the world we live in, which is why what we create and how has such enormous personal significance for us.
“Managing climate change is everything, as global warming is the greatest crisis of our times.
“We have already passed the point where all new buildings should be sustainably built and able to generate their own electricity and heating.
“We also need to aim for community micro-energy generation schemes in which households produce more sustainable power than they need, which they can then share with their neighbours. This is why we coined the phrase Green Neighbour Project.
“We feel councils are often unfairly blamed for the buildings and homes they allow to be built in communities because in reality they are limited by the guidelines the government lays down and the opportunities people bring to them.
“We would like to see more autonomy for councils as we believe that most, including our own, would step up to the plate and deliver a more ecologically balanced built environment if allowed.
“We see this as the only socially responsible way to build, and an investment for future generations. We are aiming for transparency and so all the plans for this project can be found online at www.harboroughsolar.co.uk, including all the documentation that was recently submitted to Lubenham Parish Council and Harborough District Council.
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“We hope that people will take a look at the project and share their thoughts with us, the planning department or their local councillor using the contact details on the website.”
The couple established Archway Health and Wellbeing in Market Harborough in 1997 and then relocated to Lubenham Hill in 2010, transforming its new home from a run-down pub to one of the largest health centres of its kind in the 海角视频.