An underground reservoir featured in the hit series Grand Designs is going under the hammer.
The site in Staffordshire was supposed to be transformed into an architectural wonder for Kevin McCloud's Channel 4 show after producers visited for filming.
Foundations had already been laid for the luxury property on Ridley Reservoir after it was given the green light in 2019. However, the ambitious project never got off the ground.
Ridley Reservoir was decommissioned in the 1960s.
Since being given the go-ahead, the owner has managed to lay its foundations and excavate a driveway.
Abandoned Staffordshire reservoir filmed for Grand Designs to go to auction with a £250k reduction https://t.co/CBdxfGAmxY pic.twitter.com/V6RoW1HxUM
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 2, 2024
Despite interest from Kevin McCloud's team, it will go to auction later this month.
A previous attempt to sell the unfinished dream property with a £850,000 price tag was unsuccessful, and this time it's going for a guide price of £600,000.
While costing more than double the average house price in the UK, the 8,000 squared meter plot could become a dream home worth seven figures. The main catch however is the new owner will have to finish building it themselves.
North London estate agent Jeremy Leaf told the Mirror: "Given the background of the property, it has received a lot more publicity than it would otherwise have done but if you are considering buying, you shouldn't let any of that cloud your judgement.
"The usual rules apply in terms of going into any purchase with your eyes open and making sure you check it out from all angles before the hammer comes down.
"As with any auction, if you successfully bid on the day, then you are committed to the purchase and any problems that subsequently arise with the property are yours to deal with.
"With regard to structural issues and utilities, the water connection sounds dubious, to say the least.
"But then if everything is working as it should and passes those tests, the awareness that has been generated around the property could considerably enhance its eventual value and saleability when the work is done.
"It definitely has the rizz factor but it probably isn't for the faint-hearted."
The reservoir property goes to auction online on Monday, January 22 at 1pm, and will be open to bidders for 24 hours.
The site is on the edge of Cheshire market town Alsager but still technically in Staffordshire.
Estate agents Auction House, which is handling the sale, described it as "an amazing Grand Designs opportunity".
They said: "This is a project for someone with great vision, boasting over 8,000 square meters of property. Set in a rural part of Alsager with extensive views, it has development potential perfect for a builder/developer or homeowner looking for their family home to make their own."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here