Skint council in £40m financial black hole spent £1.4m on scrapped plans for castle

Cash-strapped Derbyshire Council spent more than £1 million on scrapped plans for an historic and disrepaired Derbyshire castle and country park estate.

The County Council says it spent £1.4 million on its now spiked plans for the 321-acre Elvaston Castle and Country Park Estate.

This month the authority opted to repeal the long-standing masterplan, including a new car park and link road, following rising costs of supplies, inflation and the lack of outside funding, with the price of the first phase rising from £35 million to £50 million.

Its new plan focuses on modernising the castle courtyard, increased marketing and upgrading the equestrian and showground facilities.

The council itself is facing a £40 million budget black hole which it must close in order to avoid effective bankruptcy, with day centres for older people and those with autism, care homes and children’s centres already in the process of being closed.

A council spokesperson said: “When work on the masterplan began, doing nothing wasn’t an option. 

“Obviously, the financial climate has changed drastically since then, which means the masterplan is no longer viable."