Legal Challenge over Elvaston Castle Plans

Graham Mansey 29 April 202217 May 2022

The battle for the protection of Elvaston Castle and Park has reached a critical phase. Derbyshire County Council recently published its planning application for the destruction it would like to inflict on the Park. The end date for objections was four days ago and so, along with Elvaston Parish Council and The Elvaston Castle Action Group, the local community set about organising opposition, urging people to object and publishing template letters they could use if necessary.

Elvaston Parish Council’s objection has come in the form of a legal letter to DCC, in effect a joint action by the Parish Council, Elvaston Castle Action Group and The Friends of Elvaston.

The die is now cast and Derbyshire County Council (DCC) will have to go away and study its proposals for Elvaston Castle Country Park carefully, bearing in mind that, as well as all of the opposition from the community, both individuals and organisations, there is also now a legal challenge from Elvaston Parish Council, The Elvaston Castle Action Group and the Friends of Elvaston. The (redacted for data protection reasons) letter from the Parish Council on behalf of the objectors can be seen here.

Campaign groups have not merely been ‘sitting on their hands’ but actively fighting hard on behalf of all of the people for whom these disastrous Council proposals represent a potentially catastrophic change, for many, to their quality of life.

No expense has been spared; hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money has been thrown into the attempt to build a road and car parks where they’re not needed and where it can be proven that they’re neither wanted nor needed.

Almost all of the reports necessary for the planning application have been produced by consultants hired by the Council’s project management company, MACE, of Birmingham and are biased in favour of the redevelopment. There has been little or no impartiality involved in their respective judgements.

Just think how much those eye-watering sums could have meant had they been spent on improvements at the Park, rather than being trousered by consultants.

Some local groups which have also objected are Long Eaton Natural History Society, Beeston and District Local History Society and The Friends of Aston Brickyard and we thank them all, together with the many others too numerous to list here.

The campaign groups fighting to save Elvaston Castle Country Park still need your support to pay for legal action and the crowdfunding page remains open: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/…/stop-elvaston-castle…