A caravan park that has lain dormant for 14 years could be brought back to life if Derbyshire County Council succeeds in finding a tenant for it.
Earlier this month the council advertised the 4.02-acre caravan park at Elvaston Castle as being “to let” and said it was “open to offers” from anyone hoping to operate it. The announcement has come at a time when many caravanners will have campsites on the mind, as they plan which of the best caravan sites to pitch up at this season.
The park, which sits within the wider 321-acre Elvaston Castle estate, which the council also owns, first started operating in the 1960s, but closed down in 2012 after problems with drainage.
The council last put it out to let again eight years ago, but failed to find a suitable tenant. Since then, it has also tried to sell the whole estate, which lies to the south-east of Derby, close to the River Derwent – again so far with no success.
In its advert, the council says the site, which has now been cleared and remains undeveloped, provides a “prime commercial opportunity within a nationally significant heritage landscape”.
It thinks it could attract “high quality park groups and glamping developers capable of delivering a sensitive, high value reopening of the site”.
It adds that the “secluded, woodland-framed position” make the site ideal for “sensitive leisure, wellbeing, nature-based or visitor-focused uses that complement the park’s character, while benefiting from a strong local and regional catchment”.
Rental would be inclusive of building insurance, water and sewerage charges, external maintenance, refuse disposal and landscaping.
In other campsite news, the results of our Top 100 Sites Guide 2026 have recently been announced too, with Old Oaks named the Overall Winner of this year’s guide.
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