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Just under a year ago, Councillor John Harrison stated that a further public consultation would follow the release of the second (still publicly awaited!) report on Elvaston Castle, The Options Appraisal Report designed to advise of future uses to which the Castle could be put. In the latest on the subject, reported in the Friday edition of the Derby Telegraph, it is now revealed that Councillor Harrison is taking LEGAL ADVICE from the Council's Legal Department as to whether there would be a need for further consultation on Highgate's Plans. This speaks volumes in itself. Broken promises and public money being used like a never ending resource to block what the community actually wants, Elvaston Castle and grounds fully open to the public now and always. The first article on Tuesday reveals that Highgate Sanctuary has dropped its golf course plans for the Park, following objections by English Heritage, which also has issues with the scale of the new build for the proposed hotel. These have formed the basis of a large part of our campaign for a long time. Why has the Castle and Estate been neglected for all this length of time by the Council and why has the Council attempted to bludgeon the scheme through come what may, even going to the extent of ignoring the results of its taxpayer funded consultations with loaded questions and glossy promises which cannot be delivered, the rejection of every one of which has reflected the public's disgust at what is happening ? The fact that English Heritage has seen how completely inappropriate the Highgate Sanctuary proposals are for Elvaston Castle totally vindicates our campaign. The over riding question has to be why the Council has chosen to ignore this for the last ten years, insisting that Highgate Sanctuary was the best prospect for Elvaston Castle? The Council refuses to consider anything else. Apparently, even if there is a re-tender, Highgate Sanctuary will be able to submit a revised bid. The company still wants to take over the Castle for use as a hotel, which means that it will be lost to the community. Access will be restricted and the Castle and courtyards will be closed off. The general public will not be able to walk through the courtyards as part of their tour of the Estate. Meanwhile, we learn that Richard Blunt, Conservative Leader of North West Leicestershire District Council, will submit a bid if the Elvaston Estate is re-tendered. He wants to turn the Castle into a wedding venue and to finance the project proposes to convert outbuildings on the Park into 'private accommodation'. Of course, there would be a 'buffer zone' around the Castle but the public could occasionally be let in for tours 'by appointment.' How nice that Mr Blunt would be so considerate should he take the place over. Members of the public could occasionally get beyond the buffer zone and see their beloved Castle if they made an appointment first. We're pretty certain that we wouldn't have to tug our forelocks but that remains to be seen, doesn't it? There we are then, nothing has changed, other than the prospect of even more unwelcome schemes, sidelining and excluding the public whose money has paid for and continues to pay for the Estate whilst it is renovated and repaired in order to make it easier for the first private, profit making company to make it past the winning post. Half a million pounds in the form of a grant from English Heritage has been spent on renovating the Golden Gates, Moorish Temple, Ha-Ha Wall and part of the Nursery Garden Wall, whilst industrial strength three phase electricity, a new broadband connection, replacement windows and now roof repairs have, or are in the process of being carried out on the Castle itself. If the finance for this can now be found, after all this time (none of which comes from developers, it is public money) why is it being spent just prior to the County Council giving (or rather, throwing) the Estate away. Also, why can't these same resources be used to run the Castle successfully whilst remaining in public ownership administered by the County Council? Finally, from what scraps we have been thrown regarding the content of the Options Appraisal Report, there are only three options the Council is considering - hotel use, a residence, a company's headquarters, or a mixture of the three. How imaginative! how full of flair and creativity! how unexpected! It has taken twelve years, two delayed reports, one yet to still surface publicly, the loss of facilities at Elvaston Castle with deliberate under use by the Council and millions of pounds of taxpayer's money, which they have had to fork out whilst being denied the use of the Castle or other buildings, yet had it used against them to keep them away and all that the Report apparently highlights is for private commercial use only for the Castle, its courtyards and outbuildings, to the exclusion of the taxpayers who have/are continuing to fund it. Elsewhere on this website our Forward Plan details dozens of imaginative ideas for creating a rescue package for the Castle and Estate but none of them is apparent here. There is nothing about how the Localism Bill could bring about triumph over disaster under the Prime Minister's Big Society. Nothing about providing facilities at the Castle for all of those voluntary sector organisations that have had their funding withdrawn and where what resources are available could be pooled to provide a resolution for them and much needed finance for the Elvaston Estate. In fact, no good news for the community taxpayer at all, only good news for private hotel operators and all the rest of the gang of professional vultures hovering over the dying corpse of Elvaston Castle. We are pleased to announce that we have now acquired a Paypal Donate button to enable anyone who wishes to contribute to our funds to do so quickly and easily. There are two buttons in fact and you can use either of them, one is at the top left corner of the site's index page (the first page that comes up when you enter the Friends website). Directly underneath this is a link entitled 'Funding Appeal', which will take you to a page which explains the following and contains the other button; Your contributions and help and support for our fund raising efforts means a great deal in helping us to fight the disposal of Elvaston Castle Country Park. It isn't just professional advice that can be costly, but printing, IT, stationery and postage costs too. Remember, we all give our time and endeavours voluntarily because we love Elvaston Castle and do not want to lose it. However, if we are to make our voices heard it will require the combined efforts of the entire community. We believe that we can turn the tide, given sufficient backing. Please do all that you can to ensure that we win with this campaign. All financial contributions to our cause help us to continue to fight against the disposal and to try and ensure that every part of Elvaston Castle Country Park, including the House and Gardens, continues to be open and available for the enjoyment and recreational pursuits of the entire community. Thanking you, The Friends of Elvaston (September 2011). The other 'Donate' button is at the bottom of this page. From the Funding Appeal page you can either donate directly via Paypal account or credit card, or our bank details are on the page if you would rather donate via your local bank. We cannot overstate the importance of the continued support of the community in our battle to save Elvaston Castle Country Park from being disposed of and turned into an hotel and golf complex or any other development which threatens to deny rightful access and full use of the Park to the general public without the fear of a major increase in traffic, unwarranted new buildings, the loss of the cafeteria, stables, caravan site or the Local Nature Reserve. You can help us now by donating whatever you can afford to our cause. Please remember that we are all volunteers and membership of the group is free so your support is important to us. We now learn that the National Trust might be interested in taking control of the grounds at Elvaston Castle, whilst Highgate Sanctuary remains the County Council's preferred bidder for the House (Castle) itself. The Council has admitted that it is now unsure about how public access would work under these conditions. Here, we examine what all of this could mean. The changes in the Elvaston Castle disposal proceedings have come about because English Heritage (in its capacity as a Statutory Consultee) has rejected the Highgate Sanctuary proposals for the Estate, saying that they would have been; 'damaging to the setting of these designated heritage assets' English Heritage said that the Highgate Sanctuary proposals to transform the Castle and Gardens into an hotel golfing complex weren't acceptable on two grounds; The scale of the plans and 'associated infrastructure', and; The two new roads that would have been built in the grounds. Anthony Streeten, English Heritage Planning Director for the East Midlands, said: "We did not regard the scheme presented by Highgate Sanctuary as suitable for the sensitive historic location." This completely vindicates the stance we have taken in this campaign and it is sad that Elvaston Castle has had to become so dilapidated whilst the Council has pushed the Highgate scheme down the community's throat come what may and despite fierce opposition to it, arguing that it had to take that course of action because it could no longer afford the upkeep or restoration of the Estate. Once again, facts we actively reported in our quest to ensure proper stewardship of the Castle and in which the Council leapt to its own defence like a lioness defending her cubs has proven to be true, in much the same way that we have argued against new roads in the Park as being detrimental to the historic setting and public safety and yet the Council fully backed the plans until English Heritage has called time on them!Now that it has had to face up to the reality of the situation we are apparently faced with the proposition of a split lease, another completely unsatisfactory aspect of the attempted disposal which is indicative of what we have sadly come to expect from the County Council in its dealings with Elvaston Castle and which flies in the face of previous recommendations for the future sustainability of the Estate. If the National Trust were to take over the grounds it might do to take a more in depth look at what is currently being mooted. The latest proposal, whilst only in its infancy, is for the National Trust to take control of the grounds and, if the cost of restoring the grounds is high, then to seek Lottery Funding for the restoration (amongst others) and to charge the public for admission, a charge comparable for similar Trust sites quoted in today's (Thursday July 21, 2011) Derby Telegraph headline is £4.40 for adults and £2.20 for children. This sounds a hefty amount if all that someone wants to do is to take a walk around the Park and, if Highgate Sanctuary has turned the Castle into an hotel then it means that none of the people who paid their money would be able to have the added interest of wandering around the Castle, its courtyards and outbuildings and sit at the cafeteria as they do now. The charge would presumably include car parking, or would it? The Council has already stated that it is unsure how public access would work under this arrangement. As usual, in attempting to rid itself of what it allegedly sees as a financial burden (although no one can see why?) the Council proposals appear to raise even further questions as to the safety or future of the Elvaston Estate as a community asset and, as far as the Friends is concerned, this is unacceptable. We see only disadvantage in splitting the lease and a conflict of interests which can only mean even further misery for the community as it watches Derbyshire County Council preside over the further destruction of this beautiful asset of ours. We are a voluntary campaign group with members who give their time and labour to try and protect the future of the Elvaston Estate, not an organisation set up to bash Derbyshire County Council for the sake of it. We are not anarchists, the things we report on are not propaganda, they are FACTS. Finally, another sad fact. Any further progression in the Estate's future is to be delayed whilst yet another report is completed, this time a 'Future Options Report' (at more cost to the taxpayer) which will supposedly guide the Council on what uses the Castle can be put to. Why? after eleven years of attempts to dispose of the entire Estate to so many different businesses, why doesn't the Council apparently have any idea of what can be done with the place? Or is this merely yet another delaying tactic whilst the authority shoe-horns its disposal plans beyond the reach of any public protest ? The Essential Repairs Report for Elvaston Castle Country Park, commissioned by Derbyshire County Council and paid for by English Heritage, has finally been publicised. The Report is very complex and detailed and puts the complete restoration cost at £6.42 million. The cost of restoring the Castle itself is approximately £1.6 million. The repairs cost could be spread over a period of time by mothballing some parts whilst restoring others. The piecemeal approach of this option does not sound very satisfactory to us, especially when one considers that Nottingham City Council has just managed to acquire over £9 million of funding for the restoration of Wollaton Hall and £5.1 million for restoring Forest Recreation Ground, whilst keeping them in public ownership and Council control. This latter point is important because Derbyshire County Council continually defends its disposal by stating that Elvaston Castle will remain in public ownership. Whilst that may be true a 150 year lease to any private, profit making company effectively removes ownership for anyone alive today! The admirable efforts and commitment of Nottingham City Council in looking after its taxpayers is completely opposite to those of Derbyshire County Council with Elvaston Castle, or even Derby City Council. Whilst Wollaton Park website highlights activities at its Industrial museum, Derby City Council mothballs its Industrial Museum and closes public toilets and old people's care homes, whilst sanctioning a £90 million refurbishment of the City's Council House! The latest in a long line of fires at Elvaston Castle Country Park, this time in the Thatched Cottage built by the last Earl of Harrington in the early nineteen fifties as accommodation for family and visitors (Derby Telegraph, Tuesday, April 19, 2011), is a devastating indictment of Derbyshire County Council's mismanagement, the current condition of the Estate and the heartache at the state of the place felt by the entire community, residents and visitors alike. A number of buildings and parts of the Castle itself have been demolished by the Council since it took over, one of them being a rare early squash court, it was one of only a handful of examples of its kind in the country. This, combined with the work of the arsonists and (none corporate) vandals, has led to a much diminished place overall. There is a history of fires at Home Farm, the last one being in the old bull pen which was being used as a combined wood and paint store and, almost as an afterthought, one or two wooden linen racks and similar artefacts. The spectacular fire which resulted there destroyed everything except the brick outer walls but at least it saved the Council from burning the linen racks in front of the building, as it did with the Garvie Baler, some of the wooden milk carts, old ploughs etc., Other items were stolen from the sheds due to the lack of security. That fire also scattered the ash remains of the asbestos roof across the farmyard which had to be decontaminated by a specialist contractor - outright evidence that cutbacks in one area have knock on effects elsewhere. Thatched Cottage and its lovely garden was a tranquil little out of the way haven which could have helped to provide an income towards the restoration of the Estate and still could, provided the wonderfully simple option of knocking it down altogether (on grounds of cost, health and safety) isn't adopted by the Council. The theft, arson, vandalism and damage to restored garden areas and the threats posed to the Castle, the Moorish Temple and other vulnerable areas must be stamped out now, before it gets even worse. This item has been shortened by the Site Editor at (28.07.2011) because remarks which were intended by their author to be a light-hearted leg pull at the expense of some members of the Ranger staff have been removed following objections to the Castle Management by the Rangers. We have been asked to make it clear that anyone who does feel that they have a genuine complaint against any member of staff at Elvaston Castle is advised to telephone Elvaston Castle directly on 01332 571342 and ask to speak to Mrs Gillian Forrester, the Park's Assistant Manager. It was reported in the Derby Telegraph (March 28, 2011) that Councillor John Harrison, Cabinet Member for Finance and Management at the Derbyshire County Council, has stated that a planning application for the golf/hotel project at Elvaston Castle is unlikely to be submitted until the end of this year or the beginning of next year. This will put the plans more than three years behind schedule. Meanwhile, the restoration work to listed structures in the Gardens seems to have ground to a halt. Rumours that the English Heritage grant money has run out have been denied. However, the Golden Gates are still shrouded in polythene and the Ha-Ha Wall is untouched and looks as though it might fall down anytime soon - we hope that no one is walking past if it does collapse. The reason for the delay in the submission of a planning application is blamed on incomplete reports on end use options which were commissioned by the Council. Apparently, English Heritage is insisting on the reports and will object to any planning application until they are done. Councillor Harrison is reported to have said that if there were concerns raised in the Highgate Sanctuary bid in the second report that the firm would, as preferred bidder, get the chance to amend its bid. Honestly, you couldn't make it up, could you? Talk about flogging a dead horse! Our efforts were recently recognised by South Derbyshire District Council when the Friends of Elvaston were awarded a certificate by the Authority at a ceremony which took place at the SDDC offices in Swadlincote on February 28, 2011, at a full Council meeting. The certificate, administered by South Derbyshire CVS and which was awarded to a number of other environmental groups including the National Trust (Calke Abbey), reads; 'Presented by the Chairman of South Derbyshire District Council, Councillor Neil Atkin, on behalf of the South Derbyshire Partnership to the volunteers of Friends of Elvaston Castle in recognition to your contribution to life in South Derbyshire'."Working together for a sustainable South Derbyshire." At least the Planning Authority for Elvaston Castle Country Park recognises that our campaign is all about sustainability of the environment. A s the New Year is now well under way it might be the right time to reflect upon what we do know at present and can be counted as progress at Elvaston Castle. Some of the work necessary to restore the Elvaston Estate has already begun - courtesy in the main from public money in the form of a grant by English Heritage, topped up with taxpayer's money administered by Derbyshire County Council. The work has been delayed by the atrocious weather which has seen the worst winter on record (as reported by some sources) but certainly one of extremes anyway. Let us hope that as the weather improves and the sun gets stronger that a new and much more positive chapter in the Castle's long and illustrious history is on the horizon. Anything less will not be acceptable. Despite the atrocious weather at our recent Christmas coffee morning, which caused a much lower than normal turn out due to the freezing and snow laden conditions, we still managed to increase our funds by almost £400! The fact that we were able to raise this admirable amount is especially amazing when the weather is taken into account and is entirely due to the results of an incredible amount of hard work on the part of a few people, two of whom stand out in particular, but our thanks go to all of those ladies and gentlemen who stood up to the mark when called on to do so in support of our campaign to prevent the loss of Elvaston Castle Country Park. There has been little in the way of updates
for some time on this page which is entirely due to the
fact that Derbyshire County Council has once again gone
into secretive mode to try and diffuse any criticism of
its disposal of Elvaston Castle Country Park. Some
restoration work has been scheduled, such as the Golden
Gates and the Moorish Temple but the Council is still
sitting on the details of the cost and scale of the
works, enabled by grants from English Heritage, even
though it has been reported that the work has been put
out to tender. Film Here Dear Friends, We are pleased to be able to tell you that our planning objections petition has now been presented to Mr. Bob Laxton, MP for Derby North, who has promised to present it to Parliament on our behalf. We easily reached our initial target and have now effortlessly exceeded it. However, please keep gathering signatures as we will keep the petition ongoing in order to highlight the level of opposition to those members of the Derbyshire County Council who wish to sell a 150 year lease on Elvaston Castle Country Park. Special thanks are due to those teams which were down at the Castle on a daily basis throughout the Christmas holidays, in one of the coldest winters on record, gathering signatures for the petition. Such dedication reflects the true spirit of the community and shows just how determined we are to get this disposal reversed. Please also sign the Downing Street 'E' petition which one of our supporters has begun and which we can all sign to present our opposition to the Conservative led disposal of Elvaston Castle Country Park (http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ElvastonCastle/). A big thank you to all those members and supporters who sent in their signature forms, many of whom cannot be thanked individually because they didn't include a covering note - each and every signature is important and your work in gathering them for the planning objection is much appreciated. Anyone who has any doubts about Derbyshire County Council's intention to dispose of the Estate, or its capability of riding roughshod over community feelings should read the following article from the Derby Telegraph of Monday, February 08, 2010; This is from a council which claims that it can't spare any money to maintain the Estate and yet continues to pour taxpayer's cash into areas where we have serious doubts regarding the motives involved - such as the recent rewiring of the house itself, with industrial three phase cable. The official explanation for the latter is that different areas can be isolated in the event of something such as a bulb going! Please continue to print off and gather planning objection signatures from the links in the next article - We will make this an ongoing petition, to be presented to the Planning Authority, South Derbyshire District Council, when the developers submit a planning application. Dear Friends, Friends of Elvaston, 1113 London Road, Derby. DE24 8QD We all need to make a concerted effort now
and contact friends, relatives, workmates and community
partners in committing ourselves to kicking these
unwelcome and destructive plans into touch once and for
all in 2010. Graham Mansey, Chairman, Friends of Elvaston There has been little activity on this site for some time, mainly due to the fact that Derbyshire County Council has made no further announcements about Elvaston Castle until recently, when a revealing letter from its Chief Executive was published in the Opinion page of the Derby Evening Telegraph (DET Opinion, 'No sale, no fees and no threat', Wednesday, June 17, 2009). In it, Nick Hodgson reveals something not previously publicly announced (except at one minority group meeting), when he discloses that the Council proposes to lease the ENTIRE Elvaston Estate to Highgate Sanctuary, but to then LEASE BACK the Gardens, according to the Council for the purposes of maintaining public access and for maintenance. Mr Hodgson also claims in his letter that 'Elvaston Castle is not for sale and public access is not and has never been under threat.' This is not the case because when the Council placed the Estate on the open property market in 1999 it was marketed as being either freehold or leasehold. Clearly, if it had been sold freehold then public access could have permanently disappeared at that point. His comment that the Council has always been open and honest is therefore confounded by the facts of the matter. The statement that there will be no entry fee to the Park makes no mention of the Gardens. We know that the 'charitable trust' which he mentions that the Council is intending to set up is to be chosen from (to quote the Council in 2006); a combination of recommendation/nomination/advertising for people with the appropriate skills/interest/proven ability with initial appointments/recommendations by the Council. It is included in Council minutes that the developer would be represented on the trust. We feel that this is irregular to say the least and begs the obvious question, why lease the Gardens out to the developer in the first place, surely it would have been less of a burden on the public purse to have left the Gardens out of the equation altogether? Involving the developer in this way, in which it sits on the board of a charitable trust which administers the Gardens (having leased the Gardens back to the Council) and whereby public money is used to finance maintenance to those gardens seems an odd decision to make. Furthermore, it is questionable as to whether the public could then be excluded anyway, being as it would be public money financing the trust, so the Council's claim that leasing back the Gardens would ensure public access seems a little shallow in that respect. As well as this it means that the developer would become a major beneficiary of this arrangement, in that taxpayer's money would be guaranteeing that the hotel surroundings would be greatly enhancing its status. If it is prepared to go to these lengths to dispose of the Elvaston Estate, the Council's claim that it cannot afford to run the Estate has a hollow ring to it! There is also the question of the 15 year 'no sale' clause in the public funding paid out by English Heritage. If there is no intention by the Council to dispose of the Estate and it merely has the intention of leasing it out for 150 years, why should English Heritage need to insert a 'no sale' clause of any duration? Mr. Hodgson claims that the Council would be happy to make it a 150 year clause. If that was really the case we do not think that it should have been too much trouble for a local authority such as Derbyshire County Council to have made the amendment - perhaps it could do so now? Fortunately for us, we are not holding our breath on the matter! The new Conservative administration at Matlock now has the opportunity to reverse the damage caused by years of neglect (the minimum of a decade!) by its predecessors. It is unthinkable that a rapid U turn to the policy of disposing of Elvaston Castle Country Park could not now be initiated. Firstly, a new public consultation should take place, properly carried out, with all the FACTS clearly available. The Friends of Elvaston already knows what the public verdict will be. So does the Council. All we are asking for is openness and transparency, nothing more, nothing less, no lies, no trickery. If the public demands that the Estate is lost to a hotel and golfing complex to the exclusion of all other users then we will accept that decision and stand down our campaign... Otherwise, we will continue the fight, for as long as it takes. Furthermore, and we don't know how to say this any more clearly, Mr. Hodgson's statement that the Council is NOT disposing of Elvaston Castle and Country Park, that it is NOT for sale and that public access is NOT and has never been under threat (his emphasis!) is merely juggling with words. A 150 year lease to a private real estate development company, or any other company come to that matter, means that no one from the community, the Council, or anyone else with a current interest will be around to measure the outcome of what the disposal means in real terms. Elvaston Castle and Country Park could well have disappeared altogether and those of us who use and enjoy it now and who don't want to see it drastically altered or to disappear from public use most certainly will have done. Please make a note of our new meeting venue for the second Wednesday in every month. We will now be meeting at the Moon Hotel, Station Road, Spondon, in the lounge, at 7:30pm. Anyone who is interested in the situation with Elvaston Castle and the work of the Friends of Elvaston is welcome to come and talk to us, ask questions, put forward any (constructive) suggestions they may have. We look forward to meeting you there. The Friends FLAG Group (Friends League of Affiliated Groups), currently stands at 109 named groups, organisations and associations which completely support the Friends campaign to keep Elvaston Castle Country Park in public ownership and to prevent it from being turned into an hotel and golfing complex at the hands of developers and a County Council which appears disinterested in the views and opinions of the Park's many stakeholders. Countless numbers of people enjoy the Estate and it isn't just used for recreation and education by those who enjoy good health, but also by those who care for the less able bodied, people who are mentally or physically disabled, or recovering from serious illness. Many of these unfortunate people are taken to Elvaston Castle and its peaceful and welcoming surroundings in order to aid their recovery, and to give them and the people caring for them some much needed respite from normal daily routine. We can only make a plea for those ultimately charged with the care of Elvaston Castle Country Park to listen to the community, take heed of what that community has to say. Some of our detractors (those with a vested interest), would have people believe that the Friends of Elvaston is a campaign of misinformation led by a small, out of touch group which is helping to prevent Elvaston Castle from being rescued from decay. Nothing could be further from the truth and the dozens of testimonials from all the organisations which support the Friends campaign proves that very few are now being fooled by such vindictive propaganda and that such base lies and deceptions being preached about what a glowing future the current disposal scheme means for the Park are falling on the stony ground on which they belong. The fact of the matter is that (so far), 109 groups, organisations and associations, from right across society, are backing the campaign of the Friends of Elvaston. This is something which cannot, should not be ignored. Most are incensed by the actions of Derbyshire County Council and what it is attempting to do. It is not too late to reverse the disposal plans and to secure a sustainable future for Elvaston Castle which is agreed by ALL its users and these plans should not include anything to do with hotels and golf courses. We would like to let everyone know that a website previously left hanging in cyberspace, containing out of date information and references to the campaign by the Friends of Elvaston with which we did not agree and which we made every effort to have removed or altered, but which attempts were deliberately ignored, now has a new and much more productive life ahead of it. We firmly believe that those responsible for the original attempt to sabotage our community effort in the hope that they will gain some personal advantage from it will eventually disappear too, which would be the best thing that could happen for all concerned. Now, thanks to a charity that rescues moribund sites, combined with the hard work and diligence of one man (thank you Steve!), the site has been completely revamped and updated and is now a sister site to this one. The site is now truly a community site and contains details of groups with the same aims as we have. You can find it at; We will continue with our attempts to present a united community effort to prevent the loss of the Elvaston Estate to any commercial venture, either by sale or lease, and will do our utmost to present viable alternatives to the County Council. We would like to say a big thank you to all those people who supported our garden party on Saturday, July 5th. The heavy and persistent rain which came down all morning failed to dampen spirits and, as the advance weather forecast had given us some warning of this, we were able to to organise a switch to the Elvaston Village Hall at the last minute. A notice to this effect was placed at the nearby garden party address and stewards were deployed to redirect anyone who may not have heard or read about the changes. We had the usual superb quality home made produce available, including an unusual (but delicious) runner bean chutney, meat pasties, pickles, jams, marmalade and bread, in fact, all manner of sweets and savouries. The winners of the raffle and Teddy Bear's holiday competition will be announced in due course. The very respectable sum of £465 was raised for our funds. We would also like to say a special thank you to those people who made cash donations to our campaign. We will continue the campaign on behalf of the community and the membership of the Friends until the continued public ownership of the Estate is secured. The glossy brochure handed out by Highgate Sanctuary both at the Park and the County Show, followed by an article in the Derby Evening Telegraph, is nothing but a smoke and mirrors publicity stunt. All that it amounts to is an expensively produced rehash which contains nothing new, other than positive proof of what we have stated all along - A ring road down the South Drive, through the Golden Gates, right at the Crown Bush, down onto Coronation Drive, left into the Castle and courtyards. To create the link, a road built around the back of the former Working Farm Museum. The loss of the Caravan Park; The loss of the Riding Stables; The loss of the Cafeteria in the Castle; The loss of public access; The loss of the Local Nature Reserve; lots of misinformation - no mention of the road to be built at Bedford Drive alongside the Showground, to reach the clubhouse at Home Farm, no plan of the golf courses, no sign of disabled parking, no sign of the golf buggie tracks, nowhere to hire crash helmets if you want to walk around the Park. In the newspaper article the company, which has never traded, gives a figure of £35 million for the development and claims for the amount to be invested just keep going up and up! Underscoring this tremendous effort is the fact that the website address printed on the glossy brochure is incorrect, taking the enquirer nowhere! of course, such a glaring faux pas can easily be re-linked, but we couldn't correct the damage done if such an inappropriate and publicly detested scheme ever got the green light. If you can't get the website address on your glossy brochure correct, how are you going to manage a £35 million contract? The company has never even submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment which is a major undertaking and also an essential prerequisite to any planning consideration. In reading it one could gain the impression that Highgate actually owns the Castle and Country Park - sorry, it just isn't going to happen, but only if we ALL get up and do something about it! In response to the above brochure the following letter has appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph of Friday, July 4, 2008. Happy to say we are here to stay RE
Highgate Sanctuary Ltd plans and Elvaston Castle Riding
School, I have recently been very touched by the concerns
of locals and country park |
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