PERFECT POSITION

Ashley and Perry Grainger are looking for a plot or property suitable for refurbishment that offers easy access to Brighton city centre. They want to create a large home, with at least two bedrooms and enough space for entertaining. The couple would prefer a quiet location and would love to create something with real wow factor. They’ve spotted an empty building on the market, ideally located just outside the city centre and set in a quiet and attractive residential area. Could this property be what they’re looking for?

Transformation opportunity

The property is on a corner site, with attractive terraced houses surrounding it. The ground floor features three garages, with an adjacent flat roof garage linking the property onto a row of terraced houses. On the other corner there’s an attached dwelling. The building is made from rendered blockwork, with a slate roof. The first floor features a door on the external wall with an old winch positioned above, confirming some previous industrial use. On the other street-facing frontage is a more conventional entrance door and set of windows, which are partly boarded up. The overall appearance suggests the property has remained unused for some time.

The building is on the market as it stands. The sale particulars state there was a previous workshop and storage use. The property was originally a bakery, which explains the hoist where presumably sacks of flour were once winched into the building.

A glance at the council’s planning records reveals permission was granted in 1999 for change of use from industrial/office/storage to a mix of an artists’ studio and residential use. The proposal included a first floor extension over the existing flat roof garage. The file also shows that the site is in a conservation area. The approved drawings