A plot of farmland owned by the University of Cambridge primed for redevelopment has gone under the hammer.

Crumps Farm in St Nicholas-at-Wade, Birchington, has sold at auction for £707,000 - more than 40% higher than its £500,000 guide price.

The 2.4-acre site was most recently used as a livery yard prior to its freehold with vacant possession sale with auctioneers, Clive Emson, on Friday (November 1).

The site, which is is adjacent to the Grade I-Listed St Nicholas Church, had been put on the sale market with the auctioneers Savills.

The land owned by the St John's College campus comprises a Dutch-style barn and two large timber-framed barns.

It also contains a pair of cottages and several other outbuildings.

Thanet District Council (TDC) has already granted planning permission for nine new homes on the plot following the university’s two applications in February last year.

One featured a change of use submission alongside plans for the development itself. Both were approved in September 2023.

Once construction gets underway, the project will see the Dutch-style barn converted into two three-bedroom properties.

Located within the site is the Grade II-listed timber frame barn which dates back to the 16th or 17th century.

This will now be converted into one four-bedroom and one five-bedroom home, with the second timber frame barn becoming one three-bedroom and one four-bedroom property.

Meanwhile, the two cottages have permission for conversion into one four-bedroom house.

Two four-bedroom homes will be built following the demolition of some of the site's existing outbuildings.

The sale comes at the same time an outline application, put forward by St John's College, remains ongoing for 1,460 homes on a different plot in the district.

A total of 160 acres were earmarked for development in Nash Road following the submission to TDC in May 2023.