20 & 21, St Georges Road, Barnstaple, EX32

Location
St Georges Road is situated on the North-East side of the North Devon market town of Barnstaple within a predominantly residential area. The town centre is within easy reach being approximately 0.5 miles away and offering comprehensive modern shopping facilities, a variety of banking, schooling and recreational facilities including a theatre, cinema, leisure centre, restaurants and the North Devon District Hospital.

Barnstaple is approached via the A361 North Devon Link Road which provides easy links to the regional capital of Exeter, the M5 motorway and the popular North Devon coastal resorts. An excellent bus service operates in the area and a branch railway line provides regular services to Exeter St. David's, providing links to most major cities across the UK, and Exeter Central which is located a short distance from the city centre.

Description
The property comprises a level mostly brownfield site with a green area on the North Eastern Corner extending to approximately 2.16 acres (0.874 hectares), one part being owned by Devon County Council and the other part being owned by North Devon with direct access off the public highway. For identification purposes the total extent of the site being offered for sale is shown edged in red on the respective plan included in these particulars and annotated to show the respective areas owned by each Council. On the site currently there is a former two-storey office complex with a total gross internal area of approximately 8,762 sq ft (814 sq m), a further two-storey building currently used as a youth centre and with a gross internal floor area of approximately 4144 sq ft (385 sq m) and a former bungalow with a gross internal area of approximately 775 sq ft (72 sq m) The site offers potential for residential or other alternative
uses subject to planning and further land to the West of the site may become available in the future (Plots A & B on the respective plan).

Important Note: Subject to the availability of funding, the vendor will demolish and remove all build buildings currently on the site, including all floor slabs and foundations to a depth of 1200mm, which will be back-filled with appropriately graded crushed demolition material. It is anticipated that asbestos removal soft stripping of the buildings will have taken place by Christmas 2024 with the demolition of the main structure of the buildings commencing in early 2025. The target date for the completion of all demolition is by 31 March 2025 or earlier.

Tenure
The site will be sold freehold with vacant possession on completion.

Services
The property has mains water, gas, electricity and mains drainage. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves through their own enquiries to the relevant authority as to the availability, suitability and capacity of services to the site.

Planning
The property has potential for a range of uses subject to obtaining planning. Interested parties should make planning enquiries regarding development potential to the Local Planning Authority, North Devon District Council, on TEL . A pre-application consultation has been undertaken by the vendors which concludes that that the principle of residential development on the site is likely to be acceptable as it is within the Barnstaple development boundary. The planning response dated 12 February 2024 is included within the property information pack.

Property Information Pack
Additional information on the site including title information, is available upon request.

Offers
Conditional and/ or unconditional informal tenders with the site being cleared and/or uncleared are invited using the Form of Offer and procedure detailed in the Information Pack.

VAT
Interested parties are advised that the County Council, as Vendor, has confirmed that it is not intended to charge VAT on the purchase of the property.

Viewing
Strictly by appointment with South West Norse.

There is limited access to the main building, due to the condition of the property. The youth centre building is currently occupied and viewing may not be permitted at certain times

Method of Sale
The property is offered for sale by informal tender with interested parties invited to submit tenders, conditional and/or unconditional upon planning on a cleared and/or uncleared site basis subject to contract, by the closing date of 12.00 noon on Monday 14 October 2024. Interested parties should submit their tenders on the ’Informal Tender Form” contained within the information pack which can be obtained from South West Norse Ltd by contacting Adrian Priest on or agency. The procedure for the submission of tenders is as follows:-

Tenders should be submitted to the Director of Legal & Democratic Services, Devon County Council, Room G23, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD in an envelope marked “Tender for 20 & 21 St Georges Road, Barnstaple, EX32 7AU but not bearing any indication of the name or mark indicating the sender, including franking, to be received prior to 12.00 noon on Monday 14 October 2024.

It should be noted that any tenders made by Email, facsimile or received after the closing date will not be considered.

Terms of Sale
1. Offers are to be received by 12.00 noon on Monday 14 October 2024 and are to be sent to the Director of Legal & Democratic Services, Room G23 County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD.
2. All offers received will be held unopened until the closing date.
3. Email or facsimile offers will not be considered.
4. Offers cannot be accepted by South West Norse either at its offices or by its employees.
5. The Vendors do not bind themselves to accept the highest or any offer received.
6. Offers are to be for a fixed figure in pounds sterling and should be given in words and figures. They must not be calculable only by reference to other bids.
7. A 10% deposit to be payable upon exchange of contracts.

Note for prospective purchasers
As a condition of sale, the purchaser shall ensure that a right of access is provided over an estate road on the site in a position to be agreed within the Western boundary between X & Y to enable the future development of the plots labelled A & B on the respective plan within these sales particulars