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About the Campaign
 Elvaston Castle is a 19th Century listed building and gardens of national importance. The estate has been owned by Derbyshire County Council and run as a public country park since 1968, providing an attractive open public space against the spectacular back-drop of the Castle itself.
However, over recent years, funding for the estate has been lacking and, as a result, the Castle buildings and grounds have run into disrepair and the Castle itself is now seldom open to the public as a result. Derbyshire County Council has stated that it can no longer meet the £3m repair bill and £500,000 annual running costs for the house and so is intent on leasing the estate privately to a business.
The bidding process for the lease has been rumbling on for over five years with much time and money wasted in the process dogged by failed bidders and decision u-turns. The frustration has been enhance by the Council's insistence to keep the whole process shrouded in secrecy, keeping the public in the dark about the future of the estate. What IS known is that there are currently two companies in the running to take over the lease - the Trevor Osbourne Property Group and Highgate Sanctuary - both of whom wish to convert the Castle building into a hotel.
The result of both bids would be that the building would become closed off to the general public. It's also inevitable that, as both businesses would wish to provide additional facilities for its customers, along with guaranteeing customer privacy, much of the grounds surrounding the castle would also become closed off to the public for good - despite all the public money that originally paid for the estate and has supported it under the County Council's ownership.
The Elvaston Castle Estate Trust campaign has several key aims:
Firstly, it asks that the County Council be open about the current situation regarding the bidding for the lease of the estate, allowing the Derbyshire public access to the proposals of both current bidders, giving everyone the chance to see what the real possibilities would be for the loss of public access at the Estate.
Secondly, with the backing of the public, the Trust wishes to prevent the lease of the castle from going to one of the two current bidders so that public access is not lost to any of the estate.
Finally, the Trust wishes to open discussions with Derbyshire County Council to take over the lease of the estate themselves. Through funding from both the Heritage Lottery Fund and also from private business backers, the Trust would aim to restore both the Castle and the grounds back to their former glory and to maintain the whole estate as a viable and profitable tourist attraction, ensure public access is maintained in its entirety and plough all money made from the estate back into the restoration, development and ongoing maintenance of the castle and grounds. Much more detail about the Elvaston Castle Estate Trust's plans and proposals for securing the future of the estate can be found in our Executive Summary document. This is viewable on the website by clicking here.
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How YOU can help the campaign:
Sign the petition to show the Council and Government just how strongly people feel about the possible closure of the estate. Click here >>
Spread the word about the campaign by emailing as many friends & family as you can about it. Click here >>
Display a campaign poster to let others know what's going on - maybe even get local businesses to display them. Click here >>
Join the Friends of Elvaston Castle and play an active role in raising awareness and support for the campaign. Click here >>
Sign up for our email newsletter and keep in touch with the campaign and all the latest news and developments. Click here >>
Offer your specialist help - we're particularly keen to hear from experts local government, planning and legal issues. Click here to get in touch >>
And, if you feel you can offer help to the Trust or the campaign in any other way, please DO get in touch >>
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