New owners decide future of Askham Richard estate (From York Press)

New owners decide future of Askham Richard estate

9:44am Friday 1st June 2012 in News By Julie Hayes, Business editor

A SIGNIFICANT part of the village at Askham Richard has been sold to Scottish investment company Edinmore Properties.

The company is now deciding what to do with the multi-million pound rural estate, which covers 800 acres and features two farms spanning more than 417 acres, three dwellings, 323 acres of bare land let on a short-term farm business tenancy, farm buildings, and 54 acres of well-managed woodland.

The estate, which was sold for an undisclosed sum, but off a guide price of £6.5 million, also includes 14 let residential properties in the village as well as Park Cottage, a property adjoining former stable buildings, which the marketing information from property agent Carter Jonas said could be, subject to planning permission, converted into a principal house for the estate.

Angus Crow is managing director of Edinmore Properties, which has previously owned York railway headquarters, which has since been converted into the Cedar Court Grand Hotel and Spa and West Offices as part of a consortium of investors.

He said: “We have got a number of ideas that may or may not come to pass there. We have talked to as many tenants as we can and we have local agents working on the properties for us and looking at all the options that might or might not be available to us.

“It has got some potential ahead. When or what that might be remains to be seen.” Mr Crow said they expected to be contacted by people who had ideas for the land.

Jonathan Dover, from law firm Hill Dickinson, which acted on behalf of the seller, said the estate was owned by a company set up by Cheshire businessman George Naden, who bought it in 1971. Mr Naden’s eldest daughter, June Patterson, now in her 70s, decided to sell it after her sister Kathleen Dingle died.

Andrew Fallows, partner at Carter Jonas in York, said: “It was a unique sale and we had a strong and varied demand. We’re very pleased to have completed it, especially with the wider economic conditions.”

Jane Steward, chairman of Askham Richard parish council, said it was waiting to see what the company intended to do before taking a view on the sale. The estate was formerly owned by 18th century Yorkshire architect and former Lord Mayor of York, John Carr, who is believed to have retired there after his illustrious career, which included designing Fairfax House, Harewood House and York Crown Court.