Kentish Express Ashford & District
Second chance to buy historic barn at auction
Historic Repton Manor Barn is going up for auction for the second time – after failing to meet its reserve price when it went initially went under the auctioneer’s hammer back in the summer. The Grade II listed building on Ashford’s Repton Park estate was among lots in a Clive Emson auction held in July, with a guide price of nearly £500,000. A spokesman for the auctioneers said at the time: “There was plenty of interest but it didn’t meet the reserve.” So now it’s up for auction again. The site had a guide price of £450,000 to £460,000 at the first auction but the freehold guide price for the 0.69 acre site will be £350,000 to £360,000 at the second attempt to sell it later this month. Planning permission has already been secured to transform the empty and dilapidated barn, in Sir Bernard Paget Avenue on the Repton Park estate, into a mix of shops and food outlets. Proposals for the development include a 407 sq metre restaurant and bar, an 84 sq metre coffee shop and 314 sq metres of retail and office space, split into eight units. The scheme also includes plans for a courtyard, landscaping and parking spaces. The barn, which has been empty for many years, is on the former Templer and Rowcroft Barracks site, most of which has already been developed. Repton Manor, to the west of the barn, has been converted into offices while the Waitrose supermarket is to the east and houses have been recently built to the north and south. The application to redevelop the site, which was once used by the Ministry of Defence, for commercial use was submitted to Ashford Borough Council earlier this year by BTL Developments, based in Great Chart, which purchased the site from Shepherd Neame early this year. Full planning permission was then granted in June. The plan sees no change to the scale of the existing building and repairs will be carried out using matching materials where possible. Malcolm Gomez, from BTL, said earlier this year: “BTL Developments were keen to ensure that the historical and architectural merit of the buildings was to be retained and enhanced while at the same time devising a scheme for the site that would serve the community and enhance the appearance of the site. “The site has sat derelict and redundant for a number of years and so the opportunity for the site to be brought ‘back to life’ is something that the local residents and community, it would seem, are keen to see happen.” The Clive Emson auction starts at 11am on Wednesday, September 16 at the Kent County Showground in Detling Hill, Maidstone.
For more information go to www. cliveemson.co.uk