Residential Re-Development Opportunity

Exceptional Views over the Tweed Estuary

Planning Ref 21/01150/ FUL lodged for pair of two storey houses

Accom: Living room/ dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 3 bath/ shower rooms

Ground Floor Gross Internal Area 135 sq m (1,353 sq ft)

Offers over £170,000 are invited (as a whole)

Offers over £85,000 is invited per unit Ref. GC1184

General Information

These premises occupy a prime position within Spittal to the south of Berwick-Upon-Tweed with exceptional views over the Tweed Estuary.

Spittal is a on a beautiful stretch of Coastline with family-friendly sandy beach, play-park and a splash-park, amusements, café and amenities within the Venetian Pavilion. The Victorian promenade stretches along the sea front, enabling visitors to take in the fresh North Sea air and views the Lighthouse, the Elizabethan Walls, the Tweed Estuatry, Berwick town and beautiful Coastal vistas.

The beach connects onto the Northumberland Coastal Path heading south towards Holy Island and onto The Sandstone Way – a long distance mountain bike route from Berwick to Hexham.

Berwick-upon-Tweed is situated in Northumberland approximately equi-distance between Edinburgh to the north and Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the south (sixty-five miles each way). Whilst a relatively small town with a population of approximately 14,000 it is an important local centre serving a wide rural hinterland in North Northumberland and the eastern Scottish Borders with an approximate catchment area of around 42,000.

It is served by both the A1 trunk road and the main line East Coast Railway Network providing regular access to Edinburgh and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (approximately forty-five minutes each way) and London (approximately three and a half hours each way). There are airports at both Edinburgh and Newcastle-upon-Tyne providing domestic and international scheduled flights.

Berwick-upon-Tweed benefits from an active commercial harbour. The port can currently take vessels up to 90 meters in length with maximum beam height of 16 meters and draughts of up to 4.5 meters. The town has recently started to Welcome passenger cruise ships with the first Island Sky dropping anchor of Spittal Beach on 21 July 2021 and the Spirit of Discovery on 22 July 2021.

Although a small town, Berwick offers a good range of retail and recreational facilities with a £20 million investment ongoing to renew The Swan Fitness and Wellness Centre a short distance west of this site. The population within a ten-mile radius was recorded as 27,323 in 2019. The town benefits from a significant tourism sector with the population reported to approximately double during peak summer season.

History

The site was utilised as a Herring yard following the apparent migration of Herring processing from Tweedmouth to Spittal in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century with a Mr Boag of George Boag and Son, running the first registered business on the site, with records from around 1822 until 1847 to 1855 where Robert Boston of Boston Brothers took over the site. It is assumed that they converted the existing Smokehouses around this time.

The curing and exporting of herrings in Victorian times became a major industry in the town. In the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, vast numbers of herrings were landed from herring-drifters at Carr Rock and the nearby old Fish-Quay in Spittal.

Boston Brothers became the largest Herring processers in the Spittal area , they carried on at the site with a peak of around 100 workers until the Herring market crashed in the 1920/30’s, where Boston Brothers entered into administration.

The site was transferred into the ownership of R Boston and Sons who let the buildings to the Berwick Shellfish Company who continued to trade from the premises until the late 1980s.

Description

An unique corner terraced building at the Junction of Sandstell Road, Main Street, Princes Street and Dock Road within Spittal.

The building is of solid header brick construction with a rendered external finish and sandstone quoins, with stone facing to the entrance surround and a stone string course to eaves level under a deep pitched roof finished in clay pantiles.

The premises are of symmetrical design with central timber panelled entrance door and entrance hall with angled wings either side facing onto Main Street and Sandstell Road.

Internally the eastern section has been stripped back to shell condition in preparation for Residential Conversion.

The southern end has until recently been occupied as a multi-fuel stove show room with associated offices. Replacement UPVC framed double glazed windows have been provided to much of the roadside elevation. UPVC framed double glazed double doors have been provided off the rear of the entrance hall providing access to an enclosed yard area to the rear.

Rateable Value

According to the gov.uk website the subjects are currently assessed to a Rateable Value of £3,750 effective from 01 April 2017.

Development Proposals

Planning consent reference 21/01150/FUL has been lodged for Residential Conversion. If implemented the current proposals would provide a pair of symmetrical two storey houses each configured as follows:

Ground Floor: Entrance hall, Open plan living room with dining area, Kitchen, Bedroom 3 and shower room/ WC.

First floor: Master bedroom with en-suite shower room/WC, bedroom 2, family bathroom/WC

Enclosed courtyard to the Rear.