Elvaston Castle: Historic country park set for £35m revamp

Project leaders hope the plan will help "reverse decades of underinvestment and secure the estate's future"

A £35m plan to restore a popular country park has been revealed.

The five-year project could see the renovation of historic buildings at Elvaston Castle plus a new adventure playground and camping facilities.

The 321-acre estate, once home to the Earl of Harrington, has been owned by Derbyshire County Council since 1969 but has built up a backlog of repairs.

Project leaders said they hoped to "reverse decades of underinvestment and secure the estate's future".

The restoration project is a joint venture between Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust (ECGT) and Derbyshire County Council.

Both organisations said they were committed to keeping the park, which has about 240,000 visitors a year, as a free attraction.

'Rising running costs'

Transformation plans include renovating historic buildings and bringing them back to use, either as a work space or retail space.

New catering facilities would be created along with an extra access road from near the A6, camping facilities, and the conversion of part of the house into a venue that could host weddings.

The £35m project could see retail space, a modernised camp site and other new attractions at the estate

A statement from the county council and ECGT said: "During recent decades, shrinking local government budgets have meant that the council has struggled to meet rising running costs while a number of bids to provide the site with a sustainable future have unfortunately proved unsuccessful."

They said the restoration would be paid for by "a mix of public and private investment", including a bid for National Lottery funding.

Derbyshire county councillor Tony King said: "We believe this restoration will secure the future of Elvaston Castle and Country Park for generations to come by making it a sustainable visitor attraction that can stand on its own two feet, saving millions of pounds for Derbyshire council taxpayers who currently pay for the upkeep of the estate."

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ECGT chairman Dr Peter Robinson added: "We have five years of hard work in front of us, but we're determined to bring the castle, gardens and wider parkland back to life.

"We are committed to opening up much more of the estate to the public, including the three courtyards of beautiful stable buildings which include a blacksmith's forge, gas engine and the remains of an original real tennis court."

Planning applications are now being prepared for the estate.