Incredible sea fort luxury hotel on sale for £3m may be turned into family home
A historic fort built off the south coast to repel a French invasion is being marketed as a luxury nine-bed home and has seen its price slashed to £3million.
Owners have submitted plans to change Spitbank Fort from it's existing use as a hotel as they see it as unsustainable and have reduced the price from £4million.
The site is one of a chain of 19th century Royal Commission sea forts located in the Solent and is less than a mile off the mainland coast of Portsmouth.
And as the current owners seek a buyer, they have also sought to renew existing permission to allow it to continue to be marketed as an individual home.
It was originally constructed in order to combat the threat of a French invasion by Napoleon III and his army and took around 15 years to complete - but by the time it had been built the threat no longer existed.
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Spitbank Fort has had its price slashed to £3million (Stuart and Parker / SWNS.com)The fort remained largely underused although it was a naval defence during the First and Second World Wars, and sustained some damage from gunfire and bombing.
But in 1956, Britain’s coastal artillery was abolished, leaving the fort abandoned.
It was eventually sold to a private party in the 1980s who invested significant sums of money to restore it to a habitable space and in 2009, work began to transform Spitbank Fort into a luxury retreat which was opened it to the public in 2012.
The property is described as ready for new owners to move in right away (Stuart and Parker / SWNS.com)Since then Spitbank Fort has been in used as a high quality luxury hotel with nine guest suites, purpose built staff accommodation and a suite of hospitality features including a roof terrace, sun deck and events spaces.
In planning documents, the agent said: "The client, Clarenco LLP, also known as Solent Forts acquired Spitbank Fort (alongside others including Horse Sand and No Man’s Land Fort) in 2009 and provided significant investment to convert the existing fort into a luxury hotel and events space.
"Whilst the space has provided for a successful operation over the years, hosting numerous unique events, the continued running costs and complexities associated with its current operation has seen the applicant seek for alternative, more viable use of the fort.
The fort has been listed as a nine-bedroom home (Stuart and Parker / SWNS.com)"Accordingly, this application seeks to renew the planning permission from August 2020 for a further three years to allow for a period of additional marketing.
"The proposal would allow the change to the use of the site from the existing hotel with ancillary hospitality functions use to form a single residential dwelling house as previously granted."
It described the fort as representing an "excellent opportunity to provide a luxury and unique home."
The property was initially put on the market at £4million (Stuart and Parker / SWNS.com)The agent said as result of previous refurbishments, it is already suitable for home-owners to move in straight away and access would remain from the jetty via private boat from the mainland.
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During Covid, the Spitbank Fort was put on the market for £4million but it was marketed again for £3million earlier this year and this time listed as a "nine-bed" home.
It is one of three sea based defences built off Portsmouth in the 1860s when the fear of a French invasion.
The fort is less than a mile off the south coast of England (Stuart and Parker / SWNS.com)Another of the sites, No Mans Fort, has also seen its original price of £4.25million original reduced to £3.6million. It features 23 bedrooms, a lighthouse, laser battle play area and spa, while also needing planning permission to be turned into one home.
The cheapest on the market was the empty Horse Sand Fort which sold for £715,000 in 2021.
A decision on the application for Spitbank Fort application will be made by Portsmouth City Council.
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