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NEW YEAR'S
DAY VISITORS TO ELVASTON PARK
On New Year's Day Elvaston Castle Country
Park was packed with people. There were constant queues
of vehicles accessing the Fox Covert car park and every
available parking space in the lane was taken up with
vehicles. The ranger in charge of collecting car park
charges was rushed off his feet. This proves that the
Park is still an integral part of the recreational
activities of a vast number of residents from both the
City of Derby and beyond.
People do not want changes which they haven't
authorised and will not stand for being excluded from the
Castle and Courtyard areas especially, or, from the rest
of the Park either. The Friends considers the idea of
excluding the public from a place which their money paid
for, under the guise of restoration, but what is, in
effect, a corporate take-over exercise, to be totally and
completely unacceptable.
The only restoration which will be acceptable
to the Friends, and therefore the community, is the total
restoration of the Estate to the community. We fail to
see, and cannot understand, why there should be a problem
in making such a beautiful and unique place, finance its
own upkeep and restoration. Anyone who states otherwise,
either individually, or corporately, should not be in
charge of any decision making process.
It is now recognised by both national
government and the National Health Service that public
open space is vitally important to public health. To take
away public open space and make it available to a few
privileged people who are able to pay for it, in a poorly
thought out short term plan is both morally and
practically unacceptable, especially when the Park lies
on the boundaries of underprivileged and deprived areas.
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