Future of Tapton Lock Visitors' Centre under-threat as possible closure plan announced

Derbyshire County Council says it needs to save £157m by 2018 because of cuts in Government funding and it is proposed that Tapton Lock Visitors Centres is to be closed, unless alternative organisations can be found to run it, or an alternative use for the building can be found.

Tapton Lock Visitors Centre has toilets, a small shop, information centre and refreshments are available and a tramper vehicle is available to hire. It is based on the Chesterfield Canal, close to the town centre.

Councillor Dean Collins, county council’s cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said: “Government cuts are giving us no option but to look to cut some of our front line services. Unfortunately this includes us looking at the possibility of closing Hayfield Countryside Centre and Tapton Lock Visitors Centre.

“We know that many people use these centres so hope they will take the time to let us know how the closure could affect them.

“We are doing all we can to find other organisations that would be either interested in running the centres, or using the buildings in some way. This could involve running similar services to what we offer at the moment, or could be a different type of service. We’d be delighted to hear from any organisation that would be interested.”

Any organisation interested in taking on the centre should contact Martin Dowson on 01629 539826 or email [email protected]

The consultation can be competed online at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/countrysideconsultation and closes on Friday, May 6.