Land at Hurst Spit up for sale for £200,000 in 'once in lifetime opportunity'

LAND on Hurst spit could be bought for £200,000 as a “trophy purchase” to show off to friends, an estate agent has suggested.

Two areas on the 1.4-mile long shingle bank in Milford are up for sale for the first time in 90 years.

They have come onto the market after a member of the family who has owned them since the 1930s – the Hendys of Hendy Motor Group fame – decided they were “too elderly” to keep caring for them.

Although nothing can be built there, Jeremy Caldwell, director of Caldwells New Forest, called it a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

A nine-acre plot of land on the spit just north of Hurst Castle is on offer, along with a further 1.5km of shingle bank to the west which is jointly owned with Hampshire County Council.

HCC's share of the land is not for sale.

Mr Caldwell told the A&T: “They have been owned by the Hendy family for 90 years. The lady who inherited the land from her auntie now feels she is too elderly to own it.

“It really is an amazing opportunity.”

Mr Caldwell said his company had already received a “lot of interest” in the land, saying it was “attractive” to people for different reasons.

He said: “It could be bought as a ‘trophy purchase’ by a wealthy yacht owner who wants to say to his friends, ‘I own that bit of land’ as they sail past.”

Mr Caldwell said other would-be buyers are “interested in buying it to protect it”, adding: “There are also tax benefits to purchasing it, similar to what you gain by buying a plot of woodland.”

There is vehicular access to the land but nothing can be built on it, he went on: “There used to be what was called Hendy’s cottage near to Hurst Castle but that was demolished in the 1980s.

“There was an application submitted in the past to rebuild the cottage but this was refused and the remains of it classed as a ruin."

There is a public right of way over the land which the new owner could not alter, he added.

The area comes under the control of the national park authority, as well as having several layers of environmental protection.

Mr Caldwell said the new owner would enjoy the “abundance of wildlife there, including Sammy the seal who is a frequent visitor.”

He added: “It really is a very beautiful place.”