ELVASTON CASTLE - FINAL CONSULTATION

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The Friends of Elvaston Castle are upset that two trees have been cut down in the grounds. They claim that the two ash trees, which were thought to be at least 150 years old, were probably healthy and should not have been felled. They were not in leaf when they were felled and the council said that was one of the reasons it had determined that they had died and needed to be cut down. Graham Mansey, secretary of the group, said members were concerned that more healthy trees could face the axe, although there has been no suggestion that the council is considering further work along those lines.

He said, "While we do not question works which are necessary to guarantee the safety of park much more thorough methods of diagnosis used when condemning mature and veteran trees. In the case of the trees that were felled, the council had previously had contractors clearing out the ditch where they stood. We suspect that the digger may have damaged the roots. Oddly, areas of the park which could do with thinning out or clearing seem to be neglected."

The Friends called in an independent arboriculturist to examine the remains of the felled ash trees. They hoped he would be able to determine whether or not they were dead or diseased, as claimed by the council. Mr Mansey said the arboriculturist told him that because the trees had been felled, it was difficult to say if they were diseased but he reported that the stumps looked healthy. And he added that even if the trees were dead they could still have provided a habitat for wildlife if they had not been felled.

A report by the specialist, for the Friends, said the trees could have lost their leaves because of disease but may not actually have been dead. It said, "Another cause could be that the roots had suffered disturbance and the trees were just taking their time to recover. The heartwood in the stumps looks healthy and there is no sign of rot whatsoever. Judging by the condition of what remains, these particular trees may have stood for many years and provided mini eco-systems for insects for the birds and bats which feed off them." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Dec/06)

Derbyshire County Council submitted a £10m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund last summer, to restore Elvaston Castle gardens. The Friends of Elvaston Castle have discovered the bid was withdrawn in November, a decision the council failed to publicise. The Heritage Lottery Fund had asked the council for more details of its proposals for the gardens, but because the council was not willing to foot the bill to provide in-depth details, it withdrew its bid.

The council voted to give Highgate Sanctuary a 150-year lease, despite public protest, including a petition signed by 61,500 people, and concerns raised during public consultation. The lease, which has not yet been signed, states that Highgate Sanctuary would provide £2.75m match funding needed for a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of the gardens. It also says that Highgate would relieve the council of the cost of repairing the house.

Graham Mansey, Secretary of Friends of Elvaston Castle, said he was extremely concerned about the future of the historic gardens under the present plans now that the lottery bid had been withdrawn. He said, "The council was supposed to make information about the bid public by February at the latest but did not do so, prompting the Friends of Elvaston to contact the Heritage Lottery Fund. We would like to see the house, gardens and estate completely restored."

He added, "The Heritage Lottery Fund has informed the Friends that money is available for restoration, including the house, but that this money must benefit as wide a proportion of the community as possible and must not lead to loss of public access. We opposed the council's application and expressed this to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We do not agree with the public loss of Elvaston Castle. Surely this should be an opportune moment for the community to call time on the disposal of Elvaston Castle."

A county council spokeswoman said that re-submitting the lottery bid had not been ruled out but was unable to give any time frame. She said, "The council is still seeking the full restoration of the gardens. We withdrew the application after the Heritage Lottery Fund asked for more details of our proposals, which would have committed us to significant extra costs at a very early stage. We are continuing to work to obtain a sustainable future for the castle and grounds." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Mar/07)

As reported in the Derby Evening Telegraph (Saturday, March 9, 2007), Derbyshire County Council (DCC) has withdrawn its £10 million grant bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The County Council had pledged to announce the result of its bid for funding in January, or, at the latest, February. This deadline came and went and so the Friends of Elvaston contacted the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), to find out exactly where the matter stood. To our astonishment, we discovered that the DCC had withdrawn its application back in NOVEMBER! So, for three months, the Council had withheld from the entire community, the results of a matter which is very high on the register of public interest.

The reason which the DCC has given for its withdrawal is curious and deserves further scrutiny. According to the County Council, the HLF asked it for further details of its proposals for the Gardens which the authority claimed would cause it to incur significant costs. This, it stated, it is unwilling to do at what the authority describes as an ‘early stage in the possible development of Elvaston Castle and grounds,’ so it withdrew its bid. The developer is quoted as supporting the Council’s bid withdrawal, claiming that it is going to be improved for resubmission. The Council has not ruled out resubmission but is unable to give a time frame.

The Friends of Elvaston would like to make it clear that we cannot support any action which takes away public ownership, and, access to, such an important place as Elvaston Castle Country Park. We submitted a 17 page dossier to the HLF last October, outlining our concerns about various aspects of the disposal plan and how it could affect the community. We have concluded that the HLF too, shares our concerns. We are particularly worried about the major road down the South Drive, which will be dangerous to families with toddlers, individuals and pets alike. The developer plans to run the road straight through the Golden Gates and the restored Gardens.

This is a retrograde step as far as we are concerned and the resultant pollution from exhausts, artificial lighting and road drainage, threat to wildlife and public safety, not to mention the destruction of the beauty of the southern approach, must not happen. Further to this we dispute what the County Council states about ‘early days’ as far as the possible development of Elvaston Castle and grounds is concerned. The DCC has being attempting to off-load the Estate since 1999, eight years! It is a matter of record that the DCC submitted a grant application to the HLF for funding to restore the internationally important gardens at Elvaston Castle Country Park in 2000.

The HLF requested that the Council withdraw the bid and develop it further, by adding a conservation plan for the Gardens and an holistic management plan which encompassed the whole Estate. Hilary Taylor and her Associates were engaged to carry out the work and this went ahead at a cost of £35,000, £21,400 of which was supplied by the HLF and the remainder by Derbyshire taxpayers. Although the plans were completed the DCC did not submit a further bid (which HLF had encouraged it to do following completion of the work), until last year. We now know that the outcome has once again been unsuccessful.

However, the DCC can hardly claim with any credibility that this is an early stage in the development, or that it was unaware of the costs and protocols involved with a resubmitted bid to the HLF. When the Lanarca garden survey was being carried out for the DCC in 2005 (cost, £25,000), in the question and answer section of its website, one question featured asked what would happen if the DCC bid for HLF money was unsuccessful. The answer stated that the DCC had identified a significant sum of matched funding and that the development partner proposes a large cash contribution. Apart from emphasising the fact that in this event any restoration would be piecemeal, it also begs other questions.

Why, if the DCC has a significant sum of money, has some of this not been spent on restoring the Castle and Estate in general and retaining it in public ownership? Secondly, if such a sum is available, why did the Council not feel able to provide the funding needed to supply further information to the HLF? In the article, two lovely little sisters from Darley Abbey, aged two and six, are pictured enjoying a walk in Elvaston Castle. It is interesting that although both Darley and Markeaton Parks are on their doorstep in that part of the City, their parents chose to bring them to Elvaston Park. Is it the vast amount of space? The surroundings? The Castle and the buildings? All we know is that it is a very much loved public open space which is cherished by many people and we must guard its future. Graham Mansey, Secretary, Friends of Elvaston

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