Shotton Steelworks lab converted into auction house

Wilsons Auctions has put in a part-retrospective application for its £10m+ refurbishment of the Deeside complex, including the building of a 19,700 sq ft shed to house 120 vehicles waiting to go under the hammer.

Wilsons is hard at work breathing new life into the five-acre, grade two-listed Shotton Steelworks HQ campus – including repairing the John Summer Clock Tower building. Work done to date has cost upwards of £10m.

Shotton Point sits east of Hawarden Bridge railway station with access via John Summers Way.

This application is focussed on the 10,400 sq ft former lab building on the campus site, which Wilsons has named Shotton Point.

Like other structures on the campus, this had fallen into severe disrepair due to a damaged roof and water ingress.

Wilsons has already converted the building into an auction house with offices, reception, and café. This is the retrospective aspect of the application.

Wilsons Auctions has applied to build an extension to the lab building. Credit: via planning documents

The current aspect revolves around a 226 sq ft lean-to to the lab building to house vehicles as they go up for auction and a 19,700 sq ft shed to house them prior to that.

There would also be a covered link between the lean-to and the shed, allowing the cars to go between the two without having to battle the elements.

The application also seeks permission for 356 vehicles: 71 bays for staff, 71 bays for visitors, and 214 exterior bays for cars to be sold.

If approved by Flintshire County Council, the build programme would represent a £1m investment, according to an economic report by MKA Economics.

MKA estimates that the repaired lab building with its extension and storage shed could contribute £1.5m to the economy.

Berrys is leading on the architecture, heritage, drainage, and highways elements of the project. Tyler Grange is the ecologist. Northwest Tree Management is the arboriculturist. Ferguson Planning is leading the application submission.

To learn more about the proposals search reference FUL/000606/26 on Flintshire County Council’s planning portal.

Wilsons currently has an estimated annual hammer total of more than £620m, running more than 3,200 auctions a year across 19 locations in the UK and Ireland.

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