The Judge’s Lodgings, an iconic and historic property in the heart of the cathedral city of Lincoln has been acquired by locally based businessman Andrew Long, following his recent purchase of the adjacent White Hart Hotel.
TSP Developments (part of Andrew’s Travel Sector Property Group) has acquired a 999-year ‘virtual freehold’ interest in the Judge’s Lodgings from Lincolnshire County Council.
Coleby-based businessman and Chartered Surveyor Andrew Long recently acquired the White Hart Hotel, together with the site of the White Hart Garages and car park in July this summer. Proposals for the hotel’s major refurbishment and the redevelopment of the White Hart Garages site are now being prepared in conjunction with his planned full refurbishment of the Judge’s Lodgings building.
Andrew explains: “My TSP group of companies are working closely with locally-based John Roberts Architects and our wider project team to produce a major redevelopment and significant overall enhancement scheme for the St Paul’s Lane, Bailgate and Castle Hill quarter of the city.
“Subject to obtaining the respective statutory consents, there is now a unique opportunity to deliver a fully interrelated redevelopment scheme for the White Hart Garages and car park site, in conjunction with the refurbishment and sustainable long-term future use of the Judge’s Lodgings.”
Andrew added: “With long-established vehicular access from and to St Paul’s Lane, we are proposing a high quality dedicated arcade of ‘kiosk-style’ retail units for artisan crafts and products/services, that will be situated within the frontage of 2 Bailgate, immediately opposite the White Hart Hotel.
“This arcade will then also provide an attractive safe pedestrian link through to the new on-site parking area, as to be situated immediately to the rear of the Judge’s Lodgings, from which there will also be direct customer access.
“Subject to further detailed design, we will also create an additional 30 hotel bedrooms within a combination of the upper floor level of the original Judge’s Lodgings building and ‘new build’ elements within the overall site, all to be operated through the White Hart Hotel (currently 50 bedrooms) and situated within a fully integrated landscaped setting. The ground floor of the Judge’s Lodgings is to be used for high quality restaurant and other hospitality facilities, on which further information will be released at a later stage.”
The Grade II ‘star’ Listed building was owned by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) who had declared it surplus to their requirements and sought to find a suitable new owner committed to the full refurbishment of the building and its appropriate long-term use.
Andrew France, associate director at Lambert Smith Hampton, marketing agents for the property, said: “Acting on behalf of LCC, we are pleased to have concluded this transaction with TSP Developments and have been impressed with the proposed refurbishment scheme in conjunction with Andrew Long’s redevelopment of the immediately adjacent White Hart Garages site.”
Marketed with a guide price of ‘offers in excess of £850,000’, the negotiated contracted price is strictly confidential.
James Cook, of Kier Design & Business Services on behalf of LCC, added: “There has been detailed engagement to successfully finalise the transaction to the satisfaction of both parties over the last eight months, for what should now be a secure long-term future for the Judge’s Lodgings.”
The predominantly Georgian building was first built in 1810 and has a commanding ‘landmark’ location overlooking Castle Hill Square, immediately adjacent to the Eastern Main Gate of Lincoln Castle (built by William Conqueror in 1068).
Andrew Long added: “There is a relatively unattractive 1958 utilitarian-style flat roof extension that has no architectural merit, but there is now a significant important redevelopment opportunity in conjunction with the site of the White Hart Garages, which will also retain approximately 40 on-site customer parking spaces for the White Hart Hotel.”
Shoosmiths Solicitors of Leeds acted on behalf of TSP Developments, in conjunction with PBC Surveyors and Project Managers of London, Andrew having worked closely with both of these firms on numerous major projects throughout the UK for in excess of 25 years.
Paul Philips, Managing Director at PBC, added: “We are very pleased to be working with Andrew in the wonderful historic city of Lincoln, based on established long-term professional relationships and also Andrew’s renewed close working relationship with John Roberts Architects, together with other locally based members of the project team.”
