Frequently Asked Questions

Detailed below are the most frequently asked questions about Rural Innovation in Action. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us by calling 0115 853 2110 or emailing riia@cartwrightcommunications.co.uk, and we will do our best to help.

Rural Innovation in Action is a project created by Rutland County Council and Melton Borough Council to develop the economic potential of our combined rural areas by making the most of the assets we have within our region. 

As part of this, we have successfully applied for support from UK Government, which was awarded in 2023.

A total of £23m as part of the successful joint bid, which will be used to help boost the local economy and improve connectivity. 

The funding will be used across four projects that are designed to grow and support the economy in the region across three key areas – health innovation, sustainable travel, and visitor economy.

  • Health innovation – Rutland will be home to a new medical research and innovation facility. This will provide healthcare space linked to the development of new medical technology, as well as serving as a professional development centre for clinicians working in the area.

  • Sustainable travel – A new sustainable travel hub will be provided at Cold Overton Road to support a Demand Responsive Transport system, based on Rutland County Council’s Bus Service Investment Plan, and extended to cover the Melton area. 

    The travel hub will focus on two routes, which have been developed using evidence and analysis of Rutland’s transport network, with some further refinement needed. This service will help people to access work, learning and services more easily across the market towns of Oakham and Melton.

  • Visitor economy – Rutland will use the funding for a £2m investment to create a mobile, digital visitor experience to view two of our heritage treasures – the large Ichthyosaur discovered at Rutland Water and the remains of a 4th Century Roman Villa with mosaic floor, neither of which can be displayed easily to the public.

    In Melton, the funding will be used to facilitate the Stockyard development, creating a flexible, multi-purpose events and development space to accommodate larger numbers of visitors. This will turn Stockyard into a regional and national destination through its ability to cater for large-scale events, music, and food festivals. 

Rural Innovation in Action was created with the vision of harnessing our region’s potential to benefit the communities that live here. 

By supporting the three key areas of health innovation, sustainable travel and the visitor economy, we believe that the projects chosen will create a significant positive impact on the local communities. 

The bid submitted to UK Government was informed by public feedback gathering through the Future Rutland Conversation, which clearly highlighted health infrastructure, sustainable transport and the vibrancy of our town centres as being important to residents.   

Because of this approach, Rutland and Melton were one of only 111 successful bids out of a total of 529 from across the country. 

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