A new £400,000 children’s play park is being proposed for the Kirk Hallam area as part of the council’s recently created Erewash Investment Fund.
The project, named Fort Elka, would be themed around the Anglo-Saxon figure believed by some to have founded Ilkeston. Local legend says the town began as “Elka’s Town”, although the story is largely unproven and forms part of the area’s early folklore.
Location still unknown
While funding has been allocated, no site has been chosen. The council says only that it intends to locate the play area “near Ilkeston in Kirk Hallam”, but no preferred plot has been identified publicly.
Part of wider spending
The announcement follows several other play park upgrades in the borough, including:
- the £160,000 jungle-themed park being built at Wash Meadows (Johnny’s Park)
- the £400,000 playground opened last year at West Park in Long Eaton
Fort Elka forms part of a wider package of spending through the Erewash Investment Fund, a £2million programme launched earlier this year. Since the summer, £711,000 of that funding has been allocated to various projects, including town centre works and community grants.
A separate £180,000 parish council fund will also open for bids in the coming months.
Other measures
The fund is also being used to cover the cost of making council-run car parks free throughout December this year, and again in 2026 and 2027.
Ilkeston News will report further details once a site for Fort Elka is confirmed.