Project Details.

Location: Midlothian, Scotland
Construction Value: Not Disclosed
Client: Hamish & Liberty Martin

Our clients, Hamish and Liberty Martin bought a large agricultural holding on the outskirts of Edinburgh in 2012 with a long term vision to enhance and revitalise the 7 ½ acre site and create a unique new Herb Garden for visitors to immerse themselves in a natural relaxing environment, and learn about the herbs that are grown there and how they are used.

Since the Secret Herb Garden’s inception, BLOCK NINE have assisted in designing and obtaining planning consent for new buildings on the site, and to regenerate many of the buildings across the site to assist the growth of the business and for their own home which was granted consent in green belt as it services the business. We have also undertaken many licensing and technical packages, obtained building warrants and produced construction and tender packages, and project managed / administered contracts for built projects on the site.

The Secret Herb Garden has been a huge success, heralded by ‘Visit Scotland’ as one of their star attractions in the country. It now employs a large workforce who tend the gardens, conduct tours, cook and serve in the kitchen and shops on the site, as well as several administrative staff. Their ethos of promoting the ‘Good Life’ - organic and sustainable lifestyles was facilitated by block 9 in helping to reinvent uses and extend the lifespan of the building stock around the site, including the café and shop, kitchens, hand crafted furniture stores, the large glasshouse, a new herb school and office buildings, a bee house, a number of polytunnels, toilets, wedding and events spaces, a ‘full moon’ dinner venue, the landscaping around the site and even the conversion of an existing barn building into a new Gin Distillery.