Novo snaps up Little Bollington site
The Altrincham-based developer has bought the former Stamford Arms pub and restaurant in Little Bollington in a deal that concluded in under 48 hours.
The developer is now looking at options for the site, which has been vacant for a number of years. The pub changed its name from the Stamford Arms to Home in 2007, and operated under this moniker until 2012 when it shut down. The pub has been vacant ever since.
Owner Enterprise Inns has been looking to sell the site for some time, first listing it for sale at an asking price of £1.4m, before cutting the price down to £1m.
However, the property failed to sell and was offered at auction via Pugh Auctions. The lot again failed to attract any bidders; with a deal needing to be done quickly, Novo concluded the purchase following the auction for an undisclosed fee.
Comprising around 15,000 sq ft, including the former pub and its outbuildings, over one-and-a-half acres, the pub sits behind Dunham Massey and near the popular Swan With Two Nicks pub in Little Bollington. It also includes a car park, which was formerly a bowling green; the site is within Cheshire East’s Green Belt.
Potential options for the site are now being explored, with residential one of the possibilities on the table.
Speaking to Place North West, Novo director Ben Fearns said: “We’re exploring a number of different options for the site and would love to go to the community to hear their views on its future. We’ll be tidying up the site first and will have be engaging with Cheshire East Council and the National Trust about what we do with it next.”
It will be interesting to see what Novo do with this site. The clear issue is and always was restrictions to the title including the need for approval from Trustees of Dunham Massey for any departure from the sites’ current use.
By CheshireDeveloper
Regeneration is not a word I would use here for Novo, after visiting Little Bollington with our walking group recently we were aghast to see the mess that has been made of this site and the entrance to the main village area by Novo’s wreckless hacking down of trees. This was a pretty village with a nice entrance to Park Lane and walk down to the park, thanks to Novo now it looks less inviting than a dose of chemo. There are plenty of opportunities to renovate this building in accordance with the area and its needs that have no restrictions but maybe are not as lucrative. So let’s see if Novo really are as they claim to be or just another company out to make money by destroying any local environment….at this point its sadly clear to see which one they are by visiting this once pretty entrance to the village.
By Bev Craig
Our Dearest Bev,
Take a breath, put the kettle on and pour yourself a well earned brew.
Yes, we must confess to a spot of site clearance following our recent purchase of the site. (We being the only individuals in years willing to commit the resources and funds to bring it out of dereliction).
Ignoring that, we must make another confession, we are a ‘for profit’ company, so within our remit, we may make a profit, (I know!). But, we can stress and commit to adding significantly more value back to the site and the surrounding area, then what we will take away from it.
So we ask, if we may, for your continued grace and patience, whilst we try to take on this tall task.
Our warmest regards,
The Novo Team x
By The Novo Team
I think your attempt at a condescending answer says it all really Novo, the stress of taking on this task is clearly too much for you. You really struggle with a little critique from someone who not only walks but lives in this area. If it’s such a tall task for you then maybe you should have left it for another developer who knew what they were doing. Yes it’s been like it for years, over a hundred and fifty years, put aside the Novo, heroes of little Bollington act, no one is interested. So to sum up, Ben Fearns, next time you see a project that’s too big for you, put the kettle on and take a breath, save your pennies and walk away. You are very obviously struggling to think of a way to make money here, did you miss the first lesson in the ‘for profit’ section of the online tutorial…
By Bev Craig