Historic hall aims to be beacon of green living
Jul 10 2008 by Paul James, The Journal
ATEN-YEAR plan was unveiled yesterday for a Northumberland estate aiming to be a beacon of environmentally-friendly living for the region.
The Eshott Hall Estate has created 100 jobs over the past decade since the derelict hall was transformed into a five-star hotel and wedding venue.
It also includes Filebase, a records management company, an organic arable farm, a new luxury housing estate and its own rural property and land use consultancy.
Now the Sanderson family, who have been part of Eshott life for 200 years, have set their sights on the next decade.
Plans include the creation of a wood-chip heating system, around 30 new eco-sensitive homes, a national expansion of the Filebase business, a composting and recycling facility for village residents and expansion of the historic hall that will begin with four extra guest rooms and a restaurant facility.
The plans come in the week that the estate reached the finals of the prestigious Business in the Community Awards for Excellence, in the Rural Action category.
The estate already has its own water supply and waste treatment system and has introduced a range of conservation schemes to protect the surrounding countryside and its resident wildlife, including a thriving red squirrel population.
The self-sufficient wood chip heating system that the Sandersons want to introduce, which is being developed with Newheat, will replace all gas, oil and electricity mains energy on the estate.
Yesterday Ho Sanderson said: “This has been a monumental week for everyone who lives in, works at and relies on Eshott.
“We are so very proud of our achievements over the past 10 years, and are now looking ahead to what we can achieve in the next decade.
“I believe passionately that we all have a responsibility to conserve, restore and sustain our environment, in the broadest sense, if we are to make a difference to the future of our planet.
“Being a finalist in Business in the Community is testament to our vision and the hard work we have put in since 1997.
“With planning approval, we can do so much more to transform Eshott and cement its status as an outstanding example of a sustainable, modern, rural community.”
Over the past 10 years, the hall and its surrounding village have been restored through a programme of ambitious redevelopment that has secured the hall’s future as a commercial enterprise, moving at the same time from a farming estate into a venue for weddings, private functions and hospitality.
Margaret Fay, chairman of One NorthEast, said: “Eshott Hall Estate is a fantastic example of this type of regeneration.”
