A WORD TO THE WISE, A SALE IN DISGUISE?

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Back to Lanarca’s questions;

What about the bridleways and footpaths?
These will stay as they are until we can get them diverted.

What happens if the Heritage Lottery Fund grant application is unsuccessful?
Don’t worry, Derbyshire County Council is so desperate to get rid of the Elvaston Estate that it will throw in two and a half million pounds of Derbyshire Taxpayer’s money regardless, this is a stated fact. Ask lanarca, see their website.

Who will manage the Gardens?
Highgate Sanctuary.

How does the ‘public consultation’ for the Heritage Lottery Application differ from the ideas being considered by the Council’s preferred partner, Highgate Sanctuary?
It purports to consider what the public actually thinks about the scheme!

What about access to the Castle?
Once again, Lanarca fails to tell the truth, claiming in this question that at present there is no public access to the Castle, but that this will be restored by them. There are regular public tours organised at present, which are advertised in the press, also ghost tours, regular craft fairs and art exhibitions. It also states that the hotel area is for hotel users but that if you have paid at the car park, you ‘could’ be allowed to use the hotel bar.

What about the Nature Reserve – Is this included in the ‘consultation’ process?
No, it is needed for the golf course.

The Elvaston Castle Estate is approximately 325 acres in size. Only 200 acres is open to the public, the rest is either closed off or rented out by Derbyshire County Council. If they receive £10 million of Heritage Lottery funding to restore the Historic Core Gardens, these will have to be fenced off and a DAILY fee of up to £10 per person charged for access to them. We refer you back to the comment made by the County Council’s Assistant Chief Executive to the MEP Phillip Whitehead, where he states that “ controlled access and a payment is considered necessary”.

As the Core Gardens are approximately 185 acres in size, the amount of Parkland left open for people to just roam freely will be around 15 acres.

Tanya Spilsbury, the Chief Executive of Highgate Sanctuary, the development company which wishes to take over the Estate, has stated publicly that the company will require 10% of this remaining land as part of a golf course her company is planning to build there.

There you have it then! All that will be left for free and open public access is a little over 12 acres! In walking this ground, people will have to dodge the potentially lethal flying golf balls being whacked around the Estate by Highgate’s exclusive clientele.

All the Friends of Elvaston who have the opportunity to take part in Derbyshire County Council’s latest proposed consultation regarding the £10 million restoration of the Historic Gardens at Elvaston Castle should think very carefully at just what it is the County Council is attempting to do.

One way that you can make your feelings known regarding the one-sidedness of the questions is to fill in the section with your name and address and then add the line that is missing…. Namely, I disagree because……‘THIS IS NOT A PROPER CONSULTATION’

Firstly, DON’T confuse this with the flawed (so called) consultations that it (Derbyshire County Council) carried out in order to give it the go ahead to dispose of the Estate in the first place, the results of which it has lied about all the way along. The County Council has never had the permission of the public to sell, or lease out, Elvaston Castle Country Park to developers, nor, we hope, will it ever do.

This is one our most fiercely contested battles with Derbyshire County Council over the matter. Although the Ombudsman found in favour of the Council (Which we find inexplicable, given the evidence we presented), she agreed with us that a proper consultation had not been carried out. We will continue to oppose the privatisation and disposal of the Estate at every opportunity.

Whilst the Friends’ welcome the restoration of any part of the Estate and, as a community organisation themselves, wish to restore both the Historic Gardens and the House and Estate in its entirety, we have to question the reasoning and motive behind an attempt to gain grants of public monies to the tune of £10 million for garden restoration, when, according to Derbyshire County Council, £3 million would fully restore the House itself!

Any response to the consultation is merely as to whether you agree/disagree with a garden restoration. The Derbyshire County Council has already decided to dispose of the Estate to Highgate Sanctuary and your contribution to the consultation will make no difference to that aspect of the matter. It could however, create a situation where it becomes unviable for the developer to continue with the bid. So a ‘no’ to £10 million on the Gardens, together with robust statements of your feelings on the matter sent to the Heritage Lottery Fund could help tremendously in the fight for Elvaston.

The answer therefore, is clear. To respond in favour of the DCC’s proposals for the restoration will speed up the loss of the Country Park. Don’t fall for DCC’s con trick! Disagree with any proposal to spend a penny on the gardens whilst the Castle itself is in need of repair.

Why should a private hotel be placed in the middle of a £10 million garden paid for out of PUBLIC money? Free for the hotel guests, costing up to £10 each for you and I to enter every time we park our cars!

A negative response from enough people will help to foil Derbyshire County Council’s attempt to dispose of the Elvaston Estate through the back door. Each and every member of the Friends should play his or her part in this by voting a resounding NO vote to the garden restoration by DCC and by telling everyone what they can about what the DCC is up to!

WE WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT TWO MORE VERY IMPORTANT FACTS IN THE MATTER;

Derbyshire County Council is Match Funding the Heritage Lottery Fund bid to the tune of two and a half million pounds of Derbyshire Taxpayer’s money to benefit a private company. If its bid fails Derbyshire County Council states through Lanarca that it will commit a significant sum into backing Highgate Sanctuary’s garden restoration.

This sum, which is being given to benefit a private company would, in our opinion, be better spent on Key County Council services – such as schools and social services – across the County.

We would also like to know on behalf of the people, how much the disposal of our Country Park up to present has cost the Derbyshire taxpayer – To catalogue the Museum exhibits alone at Elvaston Castle, prior to their removal to leave Highgate Sanctuary with vacant possession, has cost, up-to-present, over the last 5 years, £166,363.

We have much to say about recent events surrounding the Museum exhibits – To follow.

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