Atherton Street, Durham, County Durham, DH1

Description:
Hopper House and 7 Atherton Street are former 3-storey office buildings of brick and block construction. Both properties have solid concrete floors, brickwork elevations, a multi pitched slate covered roof and a mixture of timber and u P V C framed double glazed windows.
Internally the properties provide functional, albeit quite basic cellular offices, with staircase access to each floor. Finishes include carpet and vinyl covered floors, plastered/painted walls, and a mixture of plastered/painted and suspended tile ceilings incorporating fluorescent strip lighting.
Hopper House has a void to the eastern area of the building, providing a ground floor covered car park for approximately 8 to 10 vehicles. There is a further ground floor undercroft to the western elevation, as an adopted road runs along the western perimeter of the site and this undercroft is required for access.

Location
Durham City Centre is a historic Cathedral City, situated along the River Wear, approximately 18 miles from Newcastle Upon Tyne and adjacent to the A1(M) motorway. The City is an economic hub, which is home to a major university, and has a resident population of 47,785 (2011 Census).
Both 7 Atherton Street and Hopper House, Durham, D H 1 4 D J (the 'Property') are located towards the north of the town centre of Durham City occupying a prominent site overlooking North Road roundabout.

Connectivity
Road - The City benefits from excellent road links via the A690 which leads directly to the A1(M) north and south with Newcastle-upon-Tyne located approximately 12 miles north. Good public transport links are also provided to and from the city via bus with a newly opened bus terminus nearby. Park and ride facility is positioned to the west and North East of the City Centre.
Rail - Durham railway station (8-minute walk from the Property) provides routes to Newcastle upon Tyne to the north, and to Darlington to the south on the east coast mainline from London to Edinburgh.
Air - Newcastle International Airport is located approximately 27 miles to the north (via the A1(M)). It provides scheduled and chartered flights to a range of national and international destinations.

Schedule of Accommodation
The total accommodation of both buildings has a gross internal area of approximately 1,642.4 m² (17678.65 ft2). This includes Hopper House car park which is approximately 173 m² (1862.16 sq. ft).
On a net internal area basis, on the current office layout, the accommodation is as follows:



Description Approximate Net Internal Floor Area
Hopper House m² sq ft
Ground Floor - Waiting Area/Reception, Cellular Offices, Server Room, Boiler Room, Accessible W C and Stores. 357.18 3,845
First Floor - Central Circulation Corridor, Cellular Offices, 3 number W Cs, Tea Room and Store. 93.06 1,002
Second Floor - Central Circulation Corridor, Cellular Offices, 3 number W Cs, Tea Room and Store. 359.25 3,867
(Sub Total) (809.49) (8,713)


Description Approximate Net Internal Floor Area
7 Atherton Street m² sq ft
Ground Floor - Lobby, Cellular Offices, W C, Tea Room and Stores. 110.30 1,187
First Floor - Central Circulation Corridor, Cellular Offices, W C, and Store. 74.04 797
Second Floor - Central Circulation Corridor and Cellular Offices. 69.76 751
(Sub Total) (254.10) (2,735)
Combined Total (7 Atherton Street and Hopper House) 1,063.59 11,448

Planning
The existing building lies in a sustainable location in Durham City Conservation Area and within the setting of the Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site. It is considered that appropriate re-use of the site may include the conversion of the building to residential, office, or community uses, subject to the granting of planning permission.
County Durham Plan Policy 16 would be the principal policy against which a proposed conversion to student accommodation (potentially for up to 50 units) would be assessed and depending upon the precise nature of the offer Part 2 of the policy may be relevant. Any proposals for other uses will be assessed on their own merits.
Prior to the submission of a detailed planning application, we would recommend that a Pre-application is submitted to the Local Planning Authority by any interested parties.
The undercroft area under the frontage of Hopper House is adopted highway. Subject to the relevant consents and providing a purchaser reserves a pedestrian right of way 1.8m wide (as agreed by the Highway Authority), there may be potential to stop up this area plus a small part of adjoining highway. It is the responsibility of the buyer to formalise this arrangement and it would be beneficial for bidders to seek Highways advice themselves depending on their proposed scheme.
Tenure and Possession
D C C owns the freehold (title absolute) of the Property being offered for sale. It is registered with the Land Registry under title numbers: DU114814, DU134144, DU27105 and DU164191.

Access
Vehicular access to the Property can be taken from Atherton Street which is adopted highway. Pedestrian access can currently be taken via two separate doors, one for 7 Atherton Street and one for Hopper House.
Prospective purchasers must make their own enquiries with the Highways Authority.
Rights of Way, Wayleaves and Easements
The Property will be sold subject to all and any existing covenants, easements, restrictions, wayleaves, rights of way, etc. affecting the land. The purchaser must satisfy themselves in relation to any covenants or other matters affecting the property.
Method of Sale
D C C are offering the freehold for sale by Informal Tender, with vacant possession on completion.
Offers invited.
Offers are invited on a conditional basis (conditional on grant of planning permission).
Closing Date
Offers must be registered on the NEPO bidding portal no later than 4.00pm on Monday 1st July 2024.
VAT
Any offers will be deemed exclusive of VAT.