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NEWS UPDATE

Bell TowerThe plight of Elvaston Castle Country Park is one that not only touches the hearts and minds of people locally and nationally, but also those of ex-pats throughout the world and the mailbox of the Friends of Elvaston is often testimony to this.

Tens of thousands of people are against the privatisation and loss of this historic estate. Some think that because nothing appears to be happening at present, all is well. Others think that it is already lost. Neither viewpoint is correct, all is not well but neither is it all lost.

Derbyshire County Council began taking practical steps to dispose of the estate eight years ago. In deciding to favour private, profit-making companies and rejecting community groups, or charitable initiatives, the council began a process which has led directly to the present sad state of Elvaston Castle, although it should have done much more to protect it than it has done.

The first company the council chose, Seasons Holidays PLC, failed. Now, Highgate Sanctuary is the company wishing to turn the estate into a hotel and golf complex. The community has never agreed to this, and this is where the problems begin. Every public consultation the council has carried out regarding the disposal of the estate since the year 2000 has been convincingly rejected by the public.

Elvaston Castle was opened as the first country park in England on Good Friday, 1970, and, for almost four decades, people have been enjoying this beautiful place, with its rich and diverse history, some even getting married there, until the council recently stopped such events from taking place.

A major setback to any progress is that the council appears to have rejected everything else in favour of privatisation but fails to inform the community of any headway, seemingly oblivious to the concepts of openness and transparency. What information does become available makes it apparent that the Elvaston Castle everyone knows and loves will become a very different place to what it is now, more like the city centre with all the roads, new buildings, golfing and hotel activity.

The places where people like to wander freely and lose themselves in thought will be gone, removed in the name of profit. Areas where families, their children and pets run about and play in carefree surroundings will be a thing of the past. In everything it publishes about the disposal, the council states that public access will not be affected and that the development is on land not open to the public. The Friends of Elvaston totally refute these statements.

Some of the land to which the council refers is grazing pasture south of the castle, including the wildflower meadow running up to the A50 link road. There are public footpaths crossing this land that have been used for generations, perhaps hundreds of years. The Local Nature Reserve, an important and designated area for wildlife, has been included by the council in the lease to the developer as part of its golf course plans. This is at a time when the importance of biodiversity and the preservation of wildlife has taken centre-stage.

Another major factor to be taken into account is the rapid expansion in the number of both residential and commercial building projects in and around the city. Practically every suburb on the southern boundary is affected and the massive estate to be built south of the park itself illustrates the even greater need for open space. An audit of public open space in South Derbyshire identified a significant shortfall in the area. Similarly, there is a shortfall in the city too.

Elvaston Castle is greatly valued by disabled people, who find the level ground less taxing for them. Derbyshire County Council isn't heeding any of these facts. There are a multitude of schemes which, with community involvement, could attract public funding. The city, South Derbyshire and Erewash Borough Councils should contribute a share of the money needed, which they don't at present. The park is often held up as a county asset but is under-funded. By sharing costs, the benefits could include jobs in tourism.

The Friends of Elvaston want to see a brand new, independent public consultation on the disposal of the Elvaston Castle estate carried out. If the community votes for the disposal, we will withdraw from our campaign. If, however, it votes against it, we want the council to have a major rethink. This has to be the way forward. Secrecy and misinformation can only make matters even worse than they are now.


Thank you to the hundreds of people who attended the Friends Autumn coffee morning at Elvaston Village Hall on Saturday, November 10, it was an outstanding success and our best yet! We had bric-a-brac, tombola, Christmas decorations, lovely paintings and sketches by our local artist and, of course, the usual delicious and mouth-watering offerings from the ladies who make all the beautiful cakes, pastries and preserves. Our funds have benefited to the tune of £595!

The winner of the 'Name The Bear' competition was Mrs Val Sanders of Derby. Congratulations to her.

               
         

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