Main Street, Spittal, Berwick-upon-tweed, TD15

Residential Re-Development Opportunity

Exceptional Views over the Tweed Estuary

Proposals for a terrace of five three storey town houses

Planning Ref 22/01820/FUL is pending determination

Total Gross Internal Area 1,049.07 sq m (11,288 sq ft)

Offers over £450,000 are invited (as a whole)

Offers over £100,000 are invited per individual 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

A clear span unit with render faced solid header brick walls to outer elevations under an insulated pitched roof clad in corrugated fibre cement incorporating translucent roof lights. The building has a solid floor throughout. There is a later single storey extension to the West.

The Single Storey flat roofed (low profile) extension is positioned to the West of the original factory unit bounding Dock Road to the West. This unit is built into the banking with slightly lower finished floor level than Dock Road. External walls are of solid header brick construction with pillars supporting an ‘oversized’ steel roof structure finished in corrugated sheeting with a fibre glass external finish. This was designed with potential to accommodate a first-floor extension above. There is a rendered external finish to the Dock Road and courtyard elevations. The unit has a solid floor. The visible rainwater goods are of cast iron specification.

Rainwater goods are predominantly of fibre cement specification.

Internally, the unit has been subdivided with brick dividing walls to form five separate units. Lighting predominantly comprises, suspended florescent units.

Dimensions: Eaves height is c. 4.15m; Ridge height is c. 7.15m; Bay Spacing is c. 4.25m.

Units 1 and 2 are currently occupied on Licences. The other units have recently been vacated. Further information is available to interested parties following registration and viewing.

Development Proposals

Planning Consent Reference 22/01820/FUL has been submitted in relation to the proposed alterations and conversion of the buildings to form five dwelling houses.

The proposal plans provide for conversion and alteration of the existing structure to form a terrace of five houses, each providing accommodation over three floor levels with roof terraces overlooking the Tweed Estuary.

Accommodation

On the basis of the proposal plans the accommodation would provide:

No. 1 (West):

Ground Floor: Entrance Hall: Living room: Bedroom with Walk-in Wardrobe and en-suite Shower room/ WC; Study; Boot room with plant room off; WC; External door to rear. Covered Parking for two cars.

First Floor: Landing; Kitchen with open plan living room and dining area; Bedroom with En-suite Shower room/ WC; Bedroom 3; Bathroom/WC.

Attic Level: Landing; Bedroom 4; Bedroom 5; Bathroom/ WC.

Nos. 2, 3 and 4 (Terrace to Middle) each have the same layout comprising:

Ground Floor: Entrance Hall: Bedroom with Walk-in Wardrobe and en-suite Shower room/ WC; Study; Utility room; plant room; WC; External door to rear. Covered Parking for two cars.

First Floor: Landing; Kitchen with open plan living room and dining area; Bedroom with En-suite Shower room/ WC; Bedroom 3; Bathroom/WC.

Attic Level: Master Suit with en-suite shower room/WC.

No. 5 (East):

Ground Floor: Entrance Hall: Living room: Bedroom with Walk-in Wardrobe and en-suite Shower room/ WC; Bedroom 2 with ensuite shower room/WC; WC; External door to rear. Covered Parking for two cars.

First Floor: Landing; Kitchen with open plan living room and dining area; Bedroom Two Bedrooms; Bathroom/WC.

Attic Level: Master Suit with en-suite shower room/WC.