George Webb Finn are delighted to offer for sale a mixed use investment opportunity comprising a range of lettings for retail, office, industrial and storage, situated within a wider 59.2 Ha (146.29 Ac) of Kentish orchards with significant further commercial development potential (subject to planning permission). 

  • 59.20 Ha (146.29 Ac) Freehold
  • Highly Prominent
  • Wide Variety of Business Uses
  • Annual Rent approx. £383,000 (plus VAT)
  • Significant Development Potential STPP

Location

The Property is located in the hamlet of Brogdale, immediately south of the M2 motorway, on the outskirts of Faversham in Kent. It is one of several hamlets making up the civil parish of Ospringe and is in the Borough of Swale. Brogdale Farm is only a few minutes’ drive from the M2 to London, the Medway towns and the coast; the A251 to Ashford and the A2 to Canterbury and Dover.

Description

The site extends to approximately 59.2 Ha (146.29 Ac) and comprises a wide range of diversified existing and converted farm buildings and offices with an approximate gross internal area of 3,640m2 (39,180ft2), set within orchards and pasture.

Arriving at Brogdale Farm, visitors enter a substantial tarmacked carpark, with an adjacent overflow car park providing an abundance of parking for tenants, staff and visitors.

The Main Farm Office and Marketplace have been converted into a mixture of commercial uses including office, retail and restaurant, offering a lovely range of units within a courtyard environment. Brogdale Collections have a range of facilities, offering a unique and spacious venue for your meetings, conferences or events. Further conversion of farm buildings to the rear of the site provides more mixed-use accommodation including offices, industrial, storage and agricultural uses. 

The Property also benefits from a two-bedroom residential dwelling on site.

The agricultural land is let to two farming tenants. It is classified as a combination of Grade I and Grade II and comprises top fruit, soft fruit, nuts and nursery crops as well as recently grubbed orchards laid to grass.

There are also a range of field parcels used for events by Brogdale Collections in association with their charitable objectives, a market garden growing 150 varieties of produce, an outdoor space to develop leisure and employment opportunities for disabled children and young people and the Faversham Miniature Railway, the only 9” gauge railway in the UK open to the public.

Accommodation

The approximate gross internal floor area for the buildings on site is 3,640m2 (39,180ft2).

Tenure

We are advised that the title is held Freehold under Title Number K705480 and is offered for sale subject to the occupational leases.

All commercial premises are let on Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 leases and have been contracted out of s.24 – s.28. The land let to DEFRA is subject to a lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and benefits from a right to renew. The non-DEFRA land is let subject to the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 and is for a fixed term of 2 year or less. The residential dwelling is subject to an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement.

A property terrier confirming Tenants, Rents, Charges, Terms, Expiries etc. is available from George Webb Finn, upon request. 

Brogdale Collections

The National Fruit Collections have been established on site since 1952. They comprise some 4,000 varieties as a food crop collection under an International Treaty of plant genetic resources which the Government have an obligation to maintain. It is the largest collection in the world and possibly the only one with public access. 

Currently the National Fruit Collections are curated by Reading University and maintained by FAST, a tenant on site.

Brogdale Collections was established as a Charity in 2009 in order to provide public access to the Collections for the purposes of education, enjoyment and awareness of the benefits of fruit as an essential part of our diets.

It achieves this by running various fruit themed events and festivals, providing tours with knowledgeable guides, courses ,education days, training days and similar relayed events.

The Charity was initially formed by one of the directors of Brogdale Farm Limited together with others, and has been supported by the Landlord in a manner which supports the objectives of the charity.

The Charity draws around 12,000 visitors to the site as a result of its various activities.

Planning

There is an Outline Planning Application currently awaiting decision for the proposed development of an additional 360m² (3,767ft²) nursery school and 25 No. 95m² (1,023ft²) workshop/business units, situated on the site of the redundant reservoir and glasshouses. 

It is the responsibility of the Purchaser to satisfy themselves that the current uses of the Property comply with the relevant planning permissions and building regulations in force at the time of the purchase.

EPC

The Property has been assessed and all premises requiring an energy performance certificate are rated E or above.

The EPC certificates for the Property can be downloaded from www.georgewebbfinn.com. 

Business Rates

Please note that interested parties are advised to make their own enquiries of Swale Borough Council rates department.

Tel: 01795 470556
43 Park Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 1DY
Contact: Chris Hildyard chris@georgewebbfinn.com
www.georgewebbfinn.com