MoD site sold for £4.7m
A FORMER Royal Navy Training Site in North Yorkshire has been sold for £4.7m in a deal with North Yorkshire County Council.
Property consultants Drivers Jonas Deloitte negotiated the deal on behalf of Defence Estates, the section of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the military estate.
The 20 acre site, west of Harrogate, was known as HMS Forest Moor and was used by the Royal Navy to train naval radio officers. It was decommissioned by the Navy in 2003.
David Powell, assistant director at Drivers Jonas Deloitte in Leeds, said: “With banks still reluctant to provide financial backing to many former customers, this deal shows landowners can still achieve good value away from the traditional markets.
“Importantly, they need the right product and good competition in the form of organisations that do not depend too heavily on the banks.
“While it is a fairly unique property, HMS Forest Moor attracted a great deal of interest from a variety of potential occupiers. In the end it was the County Council, with the necessary requirement and vision, which was in the best position to take the site forward.”
North Yorkshire County Council now plans to use the land to house a residential school for children and teenagers with special educational needs.
Drivers Jonas Deloitte has acted on behalf of Defence Estates for more than 15 years and has advised it on various land sales across the UK including the disposal of Chelsea Barracks in Central London and RAF Finningley, which is now Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.
