For sale or just sold, the 15 seaside homes with a combined asking price of £80million that show the property market is booming again
- The peninsula of half a square mile of golden sand, near Bournemouth in Poole, is home to 15 properties worth a staggering £80million
- Most houses in the resort are sold, only to be demolished to make way for new buildings that make the most of every square inch of their plot
- It has become a hive of activity as the country's property market picks up again
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The place has been described as the fourth most expensive area in the world to live.
And as the property market is picking up again — with the Office of National Statistics showing that house prices in some parts of England are now higher than their peak at the height of the economic boom — it’s suddenly become an extraordinary hive of activity.
Research suggests that £80 million worth of property is either for sale or has changed hands in recent months on the tiny millionaire’s playground of Sandbanks — a peninsula of just half a square mile of golden sand which lies between Poole Harbourn in Dorset and the English Channel.
Remarkably, that figure refers to only 15 homes. The resort’s exclusivity is borne out by the fact that many houses are sold, only to be demolished immediately to make way for new buildings that make the most of every last square inch of their plot.
Sandbanks: The peninsula of half a square
mile of golden sand, near Bournemouth in Dorset, has been described as
the fourth most expensive place to live in the world
There are only 70 or so homes around the edge of the peninsula, making a location with sea frontage the most sought-after — and the 40 or so houses that have direct water access to Poole Harbour go for a serious premium.
Sandbanks is not a haunt of A-list actresses or pop stars, but more of football managers, including QPR boss Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis, formerly of Stoke City. There are a smattering of businessmen — many newly retired and unsure what to do with all their money.
Not even a five-year-old construction is safe from the bulldozers. In 2008, a Russian buyer demolished a smart New England-style house that had been completed by its previous owner, a retired estate agent, just five years earlier.
With the market recovering, estate agents here are in especially bullish mood. ‘We’ve just had our best month ever, exchanging on £24 million worth of property,’ says Tom Doyle of Lloyds Property Group.
So what properties are for sale, and what do you get for your millions?
Sandbanks Yacht Company
Three new properties built on the site of a former yacht yard. Planners rejected a scheme which would have seen the entire site turned over to residential properties, but approved a smaller scheme which retained business use.
Three 4,000 sq ft waterfront houses are being marketed for £4.25 million each. They have five bedrooms with en-suites and balconies with frameless glass balustrades.
There is under-floor heating and a sophisticated system controlling lighting, heating, curtains and alarms, all of which can be operated from an iPad.
Sandbanks Yacht Company: These three 4,000 sq
ft waterfront houses are being marketed for £4.25million each. They
have five bedrooms with en-suites and balconies with frameless glass
balustrades
The houses have under-floor heating and a
sophisticated system controlling lighting, heating, curtains and alarms -
all of which can be operated from an iPad
One of two three-storey semi-detached houses built between 2005 and 2007 on the site of Seventies flats. Sold at the height of the boom in August 2007 for £3.2 million. Sold again in September 2012 for £3.8 million.
New owners want to build an extension over the garage, in white render and oxidised copper to match the house, but neighbours are opposed, with one writing, sniffily, that they ‘already have a large house which accommodates their exercise equipment’.
Velsheda: This is one of two three-storey
semi-detached houses built between 2005 and 2007 on the site of
Seventies flats. New owners want to build an extension over the garage,
but neighbours are opposed
After being sold in March 1999 for £1.5 million, it was then extended on two sides and had a detached garage added. Appeared back on the market last year and sold, according to agents Savills, for ‘around’ £6 million.
The house, which sits behind electronic gates, boasts a computerised lighting system and a hand-made kitchen. The master bedroom has a balcony with chrome-and-glass balustrade and granite floor tiles.
The Brink: This unique property, which sits behind electronic gates, sold for around £6million last year
It boasts a computerised lighting system, a hand-made kitchen and a master bedroom with a balcony
Built in 1995 on one of the widest waterfront plots on Sandbanks. It comes with four bedrooms, with hardwood balconies, heated swimming pool, summer house, boat house and mooring.
The house, though, looks quite plain compared with more recently built properties, and could be a candidate for redevelopment.
On the market at £4.4 million. It nearly sold at the end of last year, but the prospective buyer lost his job at the last minute. Some buyers have been put off by a shared driveway that runs close to the house.
Starboard Lights: Built in 1995, this
property comes with four bedrooms with hardwood balconies, a heated
swimming pool, a summer house and a boat house
The house, which is on the market at
£4.4million, nearly sold at the end of last year, but the prospective
buyer lost his job at the last minute. Some buyers have been put off by a
shared driveway that runs close to the house
Six-bedroom, 7,000 sq ft New England-style colonial house built in 2003. Heated outdoor pool, boathouse and a 17-metre jetty on to the private waterfront to the rear. Audio visual system with speakers inset into the ceiling of all rooms.
The intelligent lighting system and LED stair tread lights were the latest technology when it was built. On the market for £7.35million.
Tides: An intelligent lighting system and LED stair tread lights were the latest technology when this stunning house was built
A heated outdoor pool, boathouse and 17-metre jetty on to a private waterfront could be yours for £7.35million
Six-bedroom, six-reception room, 11,000 sq ft house built in 2004. Developer Bright Water Projects had paid £3.5million for the site in March 2003. Has seven-car underground garage and digital cinema system. Asking price £7.45million.
‘It isn’t very old,’ says Keith Fensom of Savills. 'But it is probably not what someone would build today. It is a bit traditional for the sort of buyers who come to Sandbanks.’
Harbour Watch: This £7.45million property has a seven-car underground garage, a digital cinema system and six bedrooms
The mansion is 'a bit traditional' for the sort of buyers who come to Sandbanks, says Keith Fensom of Savills
Six-bedroom house with a swimming pool in the basement. Extensive hardwood decking and frameless glass balustrades. Gym, sauna and media room. Stained walnut kitchen. Home automation system and intelligent lighting. Security system with CCTV. Triple garage and double carport.
Developer paid £2.2 million for the site in 2002 and first applied for planning permission for a five-bedroom house, before resubmitting plans for something larger. Has now had a sale agreed at around £7million.
Amiri: This six-bedroom house has a swimming
pool in the basement and features extensive hardwood decking and
frameless glass balustrades. A sale has now been agreed for around
£7million
Until 1994, the site was occupied by Harbour Edge, a Fifties-style bungalow bought by John Lennon in 1965 for £25,000 for his Aunt Mimi. According to her, the Beatle used to come down from London and do cartwheels on the beach.
In 1994, the bungalow was demolished and replaced with a glass-fronted house by a local property developer who used it as his own home. Believed to have sold for close to £3.5 million. The fittings were rather out-of-date, says Keith Fensom of Savills. He adds: ‘It was like an Austin Powers film inside.’
Harbour Edge: This property used to be a
fifties-style bungalow, which was bought by John Lennon in 1965 for
£25,000 for his Aunt Mimi. According to her, the Beatle used to come
down from London and do cartwheels on the beach
In 1994, the bungalow was demolished and
replaced with a glass-fronted house by a local property developer who
used it as his own home
The former site of a three-bedroom house demolished to make way for a £13.5 million replacement dwelling became a cause celebre in 2010 when the two property developers who had bought the site for £4.5 million were convicted of damaging protected trees which, it was alleged, compromised their plans. However, they later had their convictions overturned.
Not even the Sandbanks market, it turned out, could sustain such a large property. The site was re-sold by Savills last year for nearly £7.5 million, with planning permission for two five-bedroom, 6,000 sq ft houses that together could top £13.5 million.
No moorings, though. Unlike the houses on Panorama Road, properties in the east-facing Banks Road overlook a public beach.
Banks Road: Planning permission has been granted for two five-bedroom, 6,000 sq ft houses that together could top £13.5 million
Early-20th century house called Bohemia now being marketed with planning permission for a distinctly un-Bohemian £6.15 million glass-and-steel replacement dwelling.
The proposed dwelling has four bedrooms, each with a bathroom. There will be a swimming pool and a gym, a cinema room and wine cellar.
All rooms to be connected by lift. Sun terrace will have glass wall to the back of the garage, so you can admire your Ferraris while you are relaxing. If you don’t like the plans, the developer who is working with the vendor will rip them up and design something you do like.
Tanasee: This £6.15m proposed dwelling has four bedrooms, a swimming pool, a gym, a cinema and a wine cellar
The property's sun terrace will have a glass
wall to the back of the garage, so the buyer can admire their Ferraris
while they are relaxing
Arts & Crafts-style house which has gone under offer at around £4.75 million. Still has its original decorative cornicing and herringbone woodblock floors. And a beach chalet.
If you are looking for a property to demolish and replace with a glitzy contemporary house showing off your money, and gadgetry, this is not the place to buy, however.
The planners have indicated that they do not wish to see this one knocked down, but the prospective buyer has plans to spend £1 million extending and upgrading it.
Flag House: This Arts & Crafts-style
house, which still has its original decorative cornicing and herringbone
woodblock floors, has gone under offer at around £4.75million
Planners have indicated that they do not wish
to see this house knocked down, but the prospective buyer has plans to
spend £1¿million extending and upgrading it
New property built on the site of an old chalet bungalow which raised eyebrows by selling for £3 million. The property then passed between a succession of developers.
The five-bedroom home has a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, cinema and air conditioning. It has been repossessed, however, and may now offer something of a bargain to be snapped up for a mere £6.25 million.
Solaris: This £6.25million property boasts five bedrooms, a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a cinema and air conditioning
The property has been repossessed and may now offer something of a bargain to be snapped up for its relatively low asking price
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