A freehold investment property, comprising land let under ground leases to an established golf business, has been sold for significantly more than the £495,000 guide price, following a competitive bidding process.
Seckford Golf Course, one mile from Woodbridge and six miles from Ipswich, was put to the market in November 2010. Following a closing date in mid-December, when close to fifteen offers were received, contracts were exchanged in less than two weeks and the transaction completed early in the New Year. Joint LPA Receivers had been appointed in July 2010 to manage the disposal of the freehold interest.
The property, which extends to around 87 acres, first opened for golf use in the early 1990’s and is occupied under two concurrent leases which produce a ground rent of £32,146 per annum.
Ian Simpson of Savills, who handled the sale, said: “A ground lease leisure investment such as Seckford is attractive to investors in the current market as it offers long term income, with indexed linked rent reviews, which compares favourably with conventional office, industrial and retail investment returns.
“It is unusual to see a golf course investment of this nature offered on the open market, and offers were received from both private individuals with local and regional interests as well as City based asset management companies with diverse portfolios. The eventual purchaser combined a strong bid with a known industry track record and their ability to perform to the desired timescales was demonstrated by the fact that exchange of contracts took place within five working days of acceptance of the offer.”
Savills www.savills.co.uk and www.savills.com
Seckford Golf Course www.seckfordgolf.co.uk