Two former police stations sold at £12m auction
Two police stations have been sold at a record £12 million auction of properties across the West Midlands.
Fiercely competitive bids soared past guide prices for properties at a packed Holte Suite at Aston Villa FC in what organisers SDL Auctions says was one of Birmingham’s busiest-ever auctions.
It also attracted many remote bidders, taking part by phone, proxy and internet.
Gurpreet Bassi, partner and head of auctions in the Midlands for SDL, said: “There was a fantastic atmosphere and some really intense bidding on several lots which saw very good prices achieved.
“Many lots sold for three times their guide price – which is a testimony to the competition in the room, online and by phone that we experienced.”
Two former police stations sold for a combined £865,000.
Sheldon Police Station sold for £465,000 from a guide price of £180,000, while Longbridge Police Station achieved its guide price of £400,000.
The pair are among 28 police stations that have either already shut or are due to close over the next two years as part of efforts by West Midlands Police to save £8.5 million.
The former Walsall police station, put up for sale with a price tag of around £1 million last year, as part of the closure programme, has just come back on the property market after a sale deal fell through.
Meanwhile, the SDL auction also saw The Brook Meadow, at 85 Forest Way in Birmingham, sold for £258,000 from a guide price of £175,000.
The former Bournheath Methodist Church in Fairfield Road, Bournheath, Bromsgrove, sold for £204,000 (guide price £85,000-£100,000).
There were strong results for a number of lots including a workshop and retail space at 2a Imperial Road, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, which was offered with a guide price of £25,000. When the hammer fell after fierce bidding, it sold for £100,000.
Similarly, Flat 16, 46-48 Handsworth Wood Road, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, on a guide price of £10,000+ sold for £40,000.
A three bedroom, semi-detached house at 89 Aston Road, Willenhall, sold for £81,000 (guide price £19,000-£20,000).
And a three bedroom, terraced house at 69 Harrow Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, achieved £405,000 from a guide price of more than £100,000.
Gurpreet Bassi added: “This was the busiest auction we have ever held and belies any recent suggestions of a slowing market.
“As well as huge numbers physically attending the auction, we also had record numbers of telephone, internet and proxy bidders, and so the message is clear.
“This was a great result for our sellers and we are already experiencing high interest in our next auction in Birmingham on September 6.”
The Aston Villa event brings the total raised by SDL Auctions nationally to £600 million since it was founded, with more than £65 million raised so far this year.
