Council properties help generate sales of £4m for Sheffield auctioneer

Large numbers of lots offered on behalf of South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire councils led to a Sheffield auction generate sales of nearly £4m.

Council properties including a former community centre, school building and garage site, all went under the hammer at the recent Mark Jenkinson and Son auction.

The former community centre at Laxton Road, Barnsley, which had a guide price of £80k sold for £200k, while the Old School House, Thorne Road, Stainforth, Doncaster sold for £79k, and the former Burnside Garage Site in Thurnscoe, Rotherham for £60k.

Adrian Little, head of the auction department at Mark Jenkinson and Son, said: “The auction room was absolutely packed and we had a lot of interest in particular in the council buildings as many local authorities are looking to sell in the current tax year.

“A number of student investment properties were also sold, ahead of changes to Stamp Duty in April.”

In Sheffield a Grade II listed city landmark on Princess Street/Blackmore Street, sold for £325k. The Princess Works is the former home of stainless steel, and features a commemorative plaque to inventor Harry Brearley.

A number of unmodernised houses were also sold including Waller Road at Walkley, which attracted more than 100 viewers. The stone fronted semi-detached house, which was in a very poor state of repair and in need of complete renovation, had a guide price of £50k but sold for £130k.

In addition, agricultural land at the junction of the A625 Hathersage Road and Sheephill Road sold for £8,600 per acre.

In total just under £4m worth of property was sold during the two-hour long auction, held at The Platinum Suite at Sheffield United Football Club, with 38 of 45 of lots offered sold.

Adrian Little added: “Last year saw our busiest post-recession period in all areas of the firm and the first two months of 2016 has seen a continuation in a similar vein.

“The Stamp Duty issue has focused attention in the investment sector but I expect it to be ‘business as usual’ once things settle down into the main Spring period.”

It is the second auction of the year for Mark Jenkinson, following January’s which saw 92% of lots sold for £2.5m.

Sales of more than £27m saw the firmrecord the best results in the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber for 2015, according to industry research by Essential Information Group (EIG).

Mark Jenkinson & Son was established in 1877 and is the largest independent firm of Chartered Surveyors in South Yorkshire, with offices in Sheffield and Chesterfield.

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