CarpentersDownSalesDetailsPart 1

FOR SALE
0.5 HECTARE DEVELOPMENT SITE AT
CARPENTERS DOWN AND SHETLAND
ROAD, BASINGSTOKE
OFFERS INVITED BY 30 SEPTEMBER 2014
The vendors have decided to retain this property in the interim in case it is needed as a
temporary base for the Basingstoke Fire Station which is due to be redeveloped and
expect to consider the release of the site in the 2014/15 financial year.
AGENTS
HCC PROPERTY SERVICES
CULTURE COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESS SERVICES
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
CONTACT - Richard C. Kenchington FRICS IRRV (Hons),
Senior Estates Surveyor
Redbridge Fire Station
Walnut Grove
Southampton
SO16 4GZ
Email richard.c.kenchington@hants.gov.uk
Telephone 07793758810
File Reference 1FS/20
VENDORS
HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY
HEADQUARTERS
LEIGH ROAD
EASTLEIGH
HAMPSHIRE
The vendors are a Combined Fire Authority which covers the
administrative areas of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth
City Council and Southampton City Council
VENDORS DECISION TO SELL
The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority on 26 September 2007 received the following recommendation from the Asset Management Working Group that met on 4 September 2007 which was adopted by Minute 208.
Disposal of land at Carpenters Down, Popley, Basingstoke
4.1 The land at Carpenters Down, Basingstoke was originally acquired in 1976 as a possible site for a second fire station to serve Basingstoke and the surrounding area. At that time, it was envisaged that plans for the major development at Chineham might lead to an operational demand for firefighting and rescue resources to be located in the north-east of Basingstoke. This was based mainly on the
assumption that the resources based at the existing fire station at West Ham Close (on the western side of the town) would eventually
become stretched both in terms of increased numbers of incidents and also in terms of potentially unacceptable response times to the
north-east of the town.
4.2 At its meeting on 24 October 2001 the Finance and General Purposes Committee considered a feasibility report on the potential to
build a new fire station on the site and this was to be the subject of a detailed project appraisal to the Authority as soon as it was considered possible to include the scheme in a future capital programme. In the event, this was not pursued and the Authority embarked on an
initiative involving a trial to relocate a pumping appliance and crew at the Popley Fields Community Centre (close to the Carpenters
Down site) from 1500 hrs to 2200 hrs during the working week. This arrangement has been in place since April 2005, and it has demonstrated that deploying a pump and crew in the Popley area achieves only a marginal improvement in overall response standards.
4.3 It is therefore now considered that the retention of the site can no longer be justified on operational grounds. It is most unlikely that it
would be capable of facilitating any longer-term aims to improve emergency cover in Basingstoke and the surrounding area. As such, the
Group agreed to recommend to the Authority that the land be declared surplus to operational requirements and sold.
Recommendation: That the land (0.46 hectares) owned by the Authority at Carpenters Down, Basingstoke, which was originally acquired in 1976 as a possible site for an additional fire station, be declared surplus to future operational requirements; and that authorisation be given to the Chief Officer to place the property on the open market and invite `design and offer' bids which will be reported back
to the Group for consideration in due course.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
These sales particulars should be read in conjunction with the following information available on this web site:-
[A] Registered Title Number HP671616
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/titleplan_hp671616.pdf
[B] Title Plan
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/register_hp671616.pdf
[C] Site Investigation Report
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/carpentersdownsiteinvestigationreport.pdf
[D] Sewers information provided by Thames Water
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/thameswatersewers.pdf
[E] Site Land and Level Survey Drawing in PDF and DXF
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/carpentersdownlandsurvey.pdf
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/carpentersdowndxflandsurvey.zip
An Internet connection is required to use these hyperlinks
SITE LOCATION
LAND ACQUISITION
1.28 Acres of land indicated on the plan below were acquired by Hampshire
County Council from the District Council of Basingstoke by a Transfer dated
5 February 1976 under the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1947. It was
taken out of Title Number HP36003 and registered under Title No HP103515.
APPROPRIATION
With effect from 14 November 1977 Hampshire County Council appropriated
the 0.0625 acres indicated on the plan below from the purposes of the Fire
Services Act 1947 to the purposes of the Highways Act 1959 and that land
is excluded from the sale.
STATUTORY TRANSFER OF THE LAND
By virtue of The Hampshire Fire Services (Combination Scheme) Order
1996 Statutory Instrument Number 2923, the land transferred from Hampshire County Council to the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority with effect
from 1 April 1997 and on 20 April 2006 their title was registered under
HP671616. The Chief Executive’s Deed Packet Number is 4108/35
SITE BOUNDARIES
In defining the 1976 boundaries of sale the vendors retained sufficient land
to provide sight lines for Carpenters Down and Shetland Road.
In response to Enquiries made before Contract on 22 July 1975 the Director
of Administration of Basingstoke District Council confirmed that the site
abutted onto public highways.
A 2 metre wide strip was also retained along the top of the cutting in which
the underpass is located as a service margin, it should be noted however
that there is not on site the sharp escarpment edge shown on the acquisition plan and the shape of the cutting has changed - see the land survey.
The title to the surrounding land apart from the area the subject of the appropriation referred to earlier is held by Basingstoke and Deane Borough
Council and it is understood (although not confirmed) that it was acquired
under the Town Development Act 1952 and a 1961 Town Development
Agreement and is held under Title HP36003.
HIGHWAY BOUNDARIES
Until recently the highway maintenance records were maintained by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as agents of Hampshire County Council
but that function is now performed by the Highways Management Section of
the Environment Department of Hampshire County Council. In response to
the vendors enquires on 5 April 2006 the extract from the GIS mapping on
the next page was provided by the latter although the source of the information was the former. The Hampshire County Council as the local highway
authority have confirmed that the land abuts onto Shetland Road between
the Points marked A and B on the plan and this is an ideal location for any
access road to serve development. Locating the access elsewhere may involve having to establish whether the land lying between the site and the
area subject of highway maintenance has the status of public highway.
The position of the public footpath has been challenged as will be explained
later.
PLANNING PERMISSIONS
Planning permission was granted on 10 October 1973 by Hampshire County
Council’s Divisional Planning Committee for the development of this site for
a fire station. Various applications have since then been granted for the
renewal and replacement of planning consent for that purpose. The last
Planning Consent BDB/60809 issued by Basingstoke and Deane Borough
Council on 22 June 2005.
PLANNING POLICY FOR THE SITE
In the Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan Review 1996 - 2011 adopted July
2006 the site is referred to in Policy D3.13
BASINGSTOKE FOOTPATH NUMBER 717
On the Highway Maintenance Plan shown earlier and on the current GIS
records of the Rights Of Way Section of Hampshire Council as shown below
the above footpath is shown in a different position to that shown on the
Public Path Diversion Order of 29 January 1968 issued at the Petty Sessional Division of Basingstoke and it is shown on the latter further to the south
east. Hampshire County Council have been asked to correct these records.
That Order and the relevant plan extract will now follow and the error can
be discovered by looking at the distance from the subway under Carpenters
Down and the relationship to the houses to the south west.
GAS MAIN
According to service records there is a
gas main on the alignment shown on
the plan to the left. The land survey
has picked up the position of the
trench but the location equipment
used by the surveyor has not picked
up the pipe. As the main was laid by
Transco without the consent of the
vendors they have given instructions
for an order for possession to be
sought. Bidders for this site should
make it clear whether their bid is on
basis of whether the main has been
removed from the site or not and preferably on the two alternative options.
A meeting has been requested with
Scotia Gas Networks who claim to be
the owners of the pipe to establish its
precise position.
NOTE A SURFACE WATER SEWER CROSSES THE EASTERN
SIDE OF THE SITE - SEE ALSO THE LAND SURVEY
SEWER CONNECTIONS
The ground is sloping gradually in the direction of the Carpenters Down,
Shetland Road junction which is fine for the purposes of gaining access to
the adopted surface water sewer along the Carpenters Down junction but
seems to preclude gaining access to the foul drainage system south of Shetland Road without pumping mains. The most likely gravity connection point
is Manhole 7406 to the north west of the site in the vicinity of another underpass. No capacity checks have been carried out on the sewers to establish their capacity to take additional flows.
SITE INVESTIGATIONS
The vendors commissioned a site investigation report from White Young
Green Environmental which can be downloaded from the Estates Web Site.
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/carpentersdownsiteinvestigationreport.pdf
It was intended to inform the process of designing a fire station on the site.
The authors would be willing for a fee to arrange for the assignment of the
benefit of the report to the prospective purchasers. These negotiations
should be conducted directly with them.
If any prospective purchaser wishes to condition their offer upon satisfactory further investigations the offer should contain full details as to the type of investigation that they wish
to carry out. The purchaser must carry out such further site investigations as are necessary to satisfy themselves that the site suits their purposes before entering into a contract
to purchase as the vendor does not make any warranty in this respect.
Junction of Shetland Road (on right) and Carpenters Down (ahead). Note
site slopes gently up to trees in the far right
Note the footpath on the south side of Carpenters Down crosses over to
the north side at this vehicle constraint point.
This trench across Carpenters Down is presumed to be the alignment of a
gas main referred to earlier.
The footpath / cycleway under Carpenters Down viewed from the site. The
eastern site boundary is to the left of the picture.
Basingstoke Footpath 717 is approximately on the position shown - see the
Land Survey and Order Plan for further details. If redevelopment justified it
a further diversion could be applied for if a planning consent is granted.
This inspection chamber is on the south side of Shetland Road and the arrow points the direction in which the pipe runs - see the Land Survey and
the Thames Water records.
This group of trees is located on the eastern end of the site - see the Land
Survey for their positions.
This is the frontage to Shetland Road viewed from the south east and it is in
this area that access for redevelopment is prposed. Note that the lighting
scheme and highway drainage will need to be reconfigured in this event.
View of the site from the south eastern corner.
View of the site from the south east west of the trees showing the gradual
descent towards the north west corner - see levels on the site survey.
This is the inspection chamber in the south east corner where the sewer
changes direction - see land survey for location.
This is the point in the north east
corner where the sewer that runs
across the site and the sewer that
runs along the Carpenters Down
frontage combine to go north
(right in this picture). See the
land survey.
This is the point west of the junction of Shetland Road and Carpenters Down where the sewer
commences its journey along the
frontage of the site within Carpenters Down to the inspection chamber in the previous slide.
This is the junction of Maldive Road and Shetland viewed from the former.
There is a need to consider junction spacing when deciding on any new
point of access to the development site.
This picture illustrates the existing junction spacing between the Maldive
Road / Shetland Road junction in the foreground and the Shetland Road /
Carpenters Down junction in the background.
View south east along Shetland Road from the junction with Maldive Road
where there is the most likely point to form an access into the site.
HOW TO MAKE AN OFFER FOR THIS SITE
Offers are invited, subject to contract, for the freehold interest in the site which, with the exception of the
interests and rights referred to herein, will be sold on completion with vacant possession. Financial offers
must be submitted together with a 1:500 scale layout plan showing how the prospective purchaser proposes
to develop the site.
All offers must be for specific amounts and no offer will be considered in which the amount of the offer is an
indefinite sum or money or calculable only by reference to any other offers. If the offer is conditional the
extent of those conditions must be fully set out so that the Fire Authority can consider them when deciding
whether to accept any offer. No escalating offers will be accepted.
It is expected that a decision will be made on the submissions received by the Hampshire Fire and Rescue
Authority. The decision will be communicated in writing to those who have bid within seven working days.
All offers received will be considered by the Fire Authority, but the Fire Authority reserves the right not to
accept the highest offer or not to accept any offer or any late offers. It also reserves the right to withdraw
the property from the market on these terms and conditions at any time. It should be noted that when considering submissions the Fire Authority will pay special attention to the likelihood of the scheme obtaining
planning consent in the manner proposed on the layout plan if the offer is conditional on planning. Prior to
the final selection, developers submitting the highest offer(s) may be asked to provide further details of
their proposals and such further information as may be required to establish that the form of development is
acceptable to the Fire Authority and the local planning authority.
Details of the bidders and their offers will not be disclosed nor will the Fire Authority be under any obligation
to discuss the reasons for the acceptance or rejection of any offer until it becomes publicly available information after the disposal of the property.
The Contract and Transfer will be prepared by the Legal Services Practice of the Corporate Services Department of Hampshire County Council as legal advisors to the Fire Authority in such form as they may consider
necessary and must be exchanged within eight weeks from the date of the notification by the Fire Authority
of the acceptance of the prospective purchaser's offer.
Each side will bear its own legal, planning, engineering, architectural, surveying and valuation costs associated with this transaction but the purchaser will be required to pay all Stamp Duty, Value Added Tax and Registration fees associated with this transaction and the cost of preparing and executing a duplicate Contract
and Transfer.
Please Note:
Hampshire County Council gives notice that these particulars and accompanying documents and plans are
set out for the guidance of prospective purchasers but they do not form part of an offer or contract and all
descriptions, dimensions, references to condition and necessary permission for use and occupation and other details are given in good faith and are believed to be correct, but any intending purchaser should not rely
on them as statements or representations of fact but must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise as
to the correctness of each of them.
Photographs
The Photographs included in these particulars are for information and illustration, but it must not be inferred
that all or any property shown therein is included in the sale of the property.
IN CONCLUSION
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IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR REQUIRE ANY FURTHER
INFORMATION SEND AN EMAIL TO
Richard C. Kenchington FRICS IRRV, Senior Estates Surveyor
HCC Property Services, Hampshire County Council
Email richard.c.kenchington@hants.gov.uk
Telephone 07793758810
File Reference 1FS/20
VERSION 3 DATED 28 AUGUST 2012