Page 11 - Hopwell Presentation (Issue) 08-02-2021

Context
Still other places grew up around drivers of local economics – towns like Oakham, which started as a small market town, have sustained its economy on the back of its well-respected and sizeable private school.
So – our starting point with schemes like this is to be candid – what is the reason for it to exist? Why would this be a place where people settle?
This doesn’t need to ape the reasons from centuries past – it can be a thoroughly modern reason to be, but there has to be a reason that underpins why here, and why now.
Therefore, in appraising the proposals at Hopwell, we have asked this question first, and set out thoughts and proposition to support the scheme in this context. If the “Reason to Exist” is sufficiently robust, then it should remove the need to adopt an
apologetic stance to the promotion of the site, assist with tackling Green Belt issues and cut across competing proposals justified solely on housing need.
Oakham