Essential repairs to the Grade II* listed Elvaston Castle and Country Park in Derbyshire would cost in the region of £6.42 million according to a new report.

Independent specialists spent months inspecting and assessing the castle and the grounds before compiling a detailed report.

Jointly funded by Derbyshire County Council and English Heritage, the report also calls for a beneficial new use for the castle "as a matter of urgency".

The 400-page report provides a detailed breakdown of all essential repairs to restore the castle, its buildings and structures. It also looks at the surrounding historic grounds and gives a breakdown of the work which is needed.

The report, compiled by a team of architects, surveyors and structural engineers, identifies varying levels of repair to the castle and estate buildings – some are sound but others are in a poor state with urgent work needed.

This includes the roof to Elvaston Castle which is in a poor condition. The report has also identified essential works to the grounds:

• the estate suffers from poor drainage with a heavily-silted lake and poor water quality
• there are structural concerns over boundary and garden walls
• the landscape is deteriorating with footpath erosion, poor ground conditions and damage to rockwork – due in part to the pressure of visitor numbers but also vandalism

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Essential repair works to a number of structures within the historic gardens, including the listed Moorish Temple are nearing completion after months of painstaking work.

This nationally important garden pavilion has been restored to its former glory using part of a £456,000 grant for Elvaston from English Heritage. This is part of an ongoing programme of repairs supported by English Heritage in partnership with the county council. Repairs to the damaged ha-ha wall, the Golden Gates and walls and the collapsed nursery garden wall will all be finished this summer.

Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Finance and Management Councillor John Harrison said: "This report provides an exhaustive up-to-date list of what needs doing and how much it will cost.

"It is a pre-requisite to finding a long-term viable future for the castle and country park taking into account the cost of the repairs and planning considerations. It will now be used as a basis for further work to set out the future options for the castle and country park."

Work has already started on this further report which is scheduled to be finished later this year.

(CD/KMcA)