30-flat site next to Faversham railway station on sale for £2m
Published: 19:44, 15 December 2022
Updated: 22:52, 15 December 2022
A former railway yard earmarked for dozens of homes has been slapped with a £2.2 million price tag.
George Wilson Developments was given the green light to build a block of 30 flats, two houses and commercial space on the plot in Station Road, Faversham, in August.
But the firm has since put the housing element of the scheme - which it says will cater for first-time buyers - on the market for the seven-figure sum.
Josh Wilson, of George Wilson Developments, told KentOnline: “Part of the attractiveness of the site for residential use is its excellent location next to the railway station.
“The great thing about the scheme is it’s the only apartment-led one in the whole area.
“Nearly all the new-build developments in Faversham are for detached or semi-detached houses that are fairly large.
“These are one- and two-bedroom flats that should be targeted to younger audiences, and that’s a product that’s not on the market there.”
Network Rail sold the land to George Wilson Developments five years ago for £150,000.
Mr Wilson’s company had originally planned to build 45 flats on the plot.
However, the number was lowered after Network Rail raised concerns last year a train could come off the tracks and crash into the homes.
Councillors gave the project the go-ahead four months ago, praising it for its design and noting it was a “good use of a brownfield site”.
They also said the development “would be a vast improvement on what is currently there”.
“It’s not all of it that’s for sale, just the residential part of it,” Mr Wilson added.
“We don’t tend to build residential properties.
“We usually pass it off because there are people in the area who will be better at doing the residential part, and we’ve got loads of projects in the pipeline at the minute.
“But we will retain and build out the commercial element of the site, which is a business park just by the entrance.”
The land in question is an old railway yard nestled between Beaumont Terrace and Eurocenter Business Park, which is also owned by George Wilson.
The town’s recreation ground is immediately to the north.
Mr Wilson says his company will also construct a pathway linking Station Road to the park.
It is hoped the route will “cut journey times down significantly if you’re walking or cycling”.
Estate agents from Finn’s are advertising the 1.5-acre site with a guide price of £2.2 million.
Marketing material produced by the firm says: “Historically the site formed part of the railway sidings.
“It was used by a number of local companies, most notably Shepherd Neame.
“More recently the site was used as a railway depot in connection with Faversham station and the wider railway network.
“The consented scheme approved in August consists of 30 apartments and two semi-detached single-storey units.
“The layout provides the purchaser with the opportunity to vary the planning consent and density, if desired.
“The design of the units is contemporary, while taking inspiration from the land’s historic uses and the local vernacular.”
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