THE former Tui travel agency offices in Wellington town centre could help breath more life into Wellington town centre by being converted into flats for people to live in.
It was sold at auction last week with ‘residential conversion’ said to be one of the options for the new owner.
Wellington has seen several residential projects put forward in the past two years above town centre shops and businesses, some of which had been empty for a long time, which have been welcomed by town councillors.
They include the rundown Kings Arms public house, the former HSBC and NatWest banks, the empty Shauls Bakery, the former council premises at the entrance to North Street car park, and the empty Mount Veterinary Practice.
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Other applications for flats above shops and businesses which continue to trade include the St Margaret’s Hospice charity store, opticians Watson and Smith, ethical textiles retailer Chandi Chowk, and the barbers on the corner of North Street and High Street.
Applications by Gulf Emirates Inc to convert the upper two floors of the former Children’s Hospice South West building into four flats, and one by Pinstone Securities Ltd for a flat above the former Cloud 9 shop, now a vape store, were recently withdrawn.
The Tui premises in Fore Street, next to the Wetherspoon public house, was among more than 100 offices across the country which the company closed about two years ago.
It fetched £129,000 at auction last week when it was among the lots in the seventh sale this year by regional land and property auctioneers Clive Emson.
The property comprises a retail unit on the ground floor and office space on its upper two levels.
Auctioneer John Stockey said: “This well-located property at the heart of Wellington’s attractive town centre proved popular with bidders.
“It sold comfortably at the upper end of its freehold guide price of £125,000 to £130,000.
“The new owner has a number of options, including the potential for some form of residential conversion subject to the necessary consents.”
Savills of Sevenoaks was joint auctioneer of the property.