A multi-million pound historic Solent fort remains for sale, after three years on the market – and a new planning application sets out to ensure any new buyer will have the option to convert it into a (albeit unusual) private home.
Change of use application
It means the owners of No Man’s Fort, Clarenco LLP, are faced with having to reapply for permission to allow the iconic building to be turned into a house.
Nearly three years ago, permission was granted to re-purpose the fort — which has been run as an exclusive hotel, halfway between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth — into one big house, making it more attractive to buyers.
New application required
When it gave the idea the green light, in May 2020, the Isle of Wight council required the change to be carried out within three years.
Now, it needs a fresh application.
Difficulty selling
Agent Rolfe Judd Planning said, in a letter to the Isle of Wight council, permission had not been implemented due to difficulty in finding a buyer for the site.
A new application would allow a further three years for the property to be marketed as a home.
Former life as a hotel
The agent said the fort had been run as a successful hotel in previous years, but running costs and other issues had meant an alternative use was being sought.
The fort, which is one of Palmerston’s follies, built in the 19th Century as a line of defence against the threat of invasion from France, has been on the market since 2019.
It was decommissioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1956 and then sold to private developers.
New price tag of £3.6 million
Its £4.25 million original price tag has been reduced to £3.6 million.
It features 23 bedrooms, a lighthouse, laser battle play area and spa.
In 2012, Clarenco (also known as Solent Forts) converted it, adding a helipad, indoor swimming pool and restaurant.
Neighbouring Spitbank Fort has also been put up for sale again, for £3 million, with the possibility it could become a home or a hotel.
View the plans
You can see the plans 23/00292/FUL, on the council’s planning register.
The public consultation runs until 31st March.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
