Latest News | 24 March 2021
Consultants appointed for £35m Elvaston Castle project
Planning & Design Practice has been appointed as heritage planning consultants for the proposed £35m restoration and transformation of Elvaston Castle.
Last month, detailed plans were revealed by Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust and Derbyshire County Council to restore the 321-acre Derbyshire estate, including its many listed buildings and historic features.
Regeneration of the site, which will remain a free at the point of entry country park, is expected to create more than 170 new jobs and increase the number of visitors from its current 240,000 a year.
The money for the project will come from a mix of public and private investment, including bids to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and substantial investment from the county council itself.
Now, Planning & Design Practice has been appointed to work on the project.
The firm has previously been involved in numerous schemes affecting listed buildings, conservation areas and within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby city centre, with clients including Staton Young.
The firm’s Jon Millhouse and Lindsay Cruddas will work on the Elvaston Castle scheme.
Jon said: “I am pleased to have been invited to contribute to this exciting and worthwhile project, which seeks to secure a sustainable future for one of Derbyshire’s most valuable heritage sites.”
Elvaston Castle, a gothic revival masterpiece, lies at the heart of open parkland, woodland and more formal historical gardens.
Designed by James Wyatt in the early 1800s and based on the original house dating back to 1633, it was once the home of the Earls of Harrington.
However, the Stanhope family left after the end of the Second World War and Derbyshire County Council then rescued the site in the 1960s, saving it from development for mining.
In 1970 the estate was opened as one of the first country parks in England.
Today, both the buildings and gardens are registered as being of special architectural and historical interest.
Subject to planning permission, the proposed developments include bringing many of the historic buildings back into use as retail, office and workshop space or holiday cottages.
The upper floor of the castle itself would be turned into suites, with the potential to be hired out for weddings and other events.
Other upgrades include a new main cafe, adventure playground and improved camping facilities.
