Turbo Island in Bristol sold to anonymous 'local' buyer for £100k

Turbo Island in Stokes Croft Credit: Paul Gillis/BPM Media

An anonymous buyer has purchased Turbo Island in Bristol for £100,000.

The small patch of land in Stokes Croft was due to be sold at auction on 16 October, with a guide price of £50,000.

The land is being sold by Oxfordshire-based advertising agency Wildstone, which says it has now agreed to sell to "a local buyer" instead of going ahead with the auction.

The 0.03 acre site has been a place where anti-social behaviour has often been reported, with fly-tipping and littering a recurring problem.

Efforts were made almost two years ago to clean Turbo Island up, with fencing installed and the area concreted over.

Within a day of the works beginning though, the area was once again littered with debris and the fencing was torn down.

Community group Stokes Croft Land Trust (SCLT) says it is disappointed by the sale, it offered the same amount - £100,000 sum last month but was turned down.

The SCLT and community group The People's Republic of Stokes Croft attempted to crowdfund £50,000 in six months. Only £2,000 had been raised.

A spokesperson for the SCLT said: "We are disappointed we did not have the opportunity to bid at auction the funds we raised from the community.

"We want to thank everyone who donated, pledged funds and participated in the campaign to save Turbo Island, and believe in the importance of community ownership."

The auctioneers, Bristol estate agent Hollis Morgan, had previously stated that there was no chance of a sale outside the auction process. Credit: Paul Gillis

A spokesperson for Wildstone said: “A local buyer has come forward with an acceptable offer to purchase our land at 72 Stokes Croft.

“As a result, we are withdrawing the site from auction, pending the completion of due diligence and legal processes. Should everything proceed as expected, we will move to exchange contracts."

It is unclear what will happen with the land now but it was marketed as somewhere a four-storey building could be built, with a shop or restaurant on the ground level and flats above.

The SCLT said it "hopes to be able to work with the new owners of Turbo Island in making sure this iconic and important public square continues to be an invaluable community space in Stokes Croft".