Benefits of Elvaston Castle regeneration 'outweigh harm'

The county council said its plans would make Elvaston Castle a sustainable visitor attraction

A multimillion-pound project to regenerate the rundown Elvaston Castle estate is worth making compromises for, say council planners.

South Derbyshire District Council is assessing the impact of plans to conserve the site.

Initial designs would see the construction of a cafe and an adventure playground, alongside the reopening of its historical blacksmith facilities.

Campaign groups and residents raised objections to the overall scheme.

A council report looking at an application by Derbyshire County Council and the Elvaston Castle and Gardens Trust for permission to convert and extend a number of listed buildings on the site has been published ahead of a planning meeting.

In the report, officials said "the level of harm is outweighed by the public benefits" .

There are plans to create a tea room, kiosks, shops and exhibition spaces

Friends of Elvaston Castle campaigners object to the plans, saying the "scale... of the proposals is incongruous in comparison to the castle and core buildings".

They said views of the castle's setting "will be compromised" and the structure would affect "any possible historical interpretation of the significance of the setting of the house".

Plans for a new link road and car park - the main focus of local objections - were not considered in the document.

Elvaston Parish Council has backed the application, but with the "caveat" that the proposed new access route is scrapped.

In a statement, the county council said the new road would increase "the attractiveness of Elvaston as a visitor destination and place to invest" and remove traffic travelling through the villages of Elvaston and Thulston to get to the park.

The council's planning committee are due to meet on Tuesday to review the report.