An Inverness playpark remains up for a sale after it failed to find a buyer at auction.
The green space in Moray Park Gardens, Culloden went under the hammer on Thursday.
It was one of more than 140 properties put up for grabs by Glasgow-based firm Prime Property Auctions.
Owner Ibrahim Mohammed was hoping to make a tidy profit on the parcel of land he bought for £15,000 in 2019.
But the playpark fetched only two bids – one for £35,000 and another for £36,000.
Those amounts were under the reserve price – the minimum it could be sold for – so no sale was completed.
Listing could ‘mislead’ potential buyers
The park was constructed in the early 2000s.
It was well used by families in the area back then.
But now it’s in a sorry state. The area is badly overgrown, the play equipment is rusty and broken glass is scattered across the playground.
The surrounding houses were built by Muir Homes but the adjacent amenity land has been sold off in small pockets to a number of different owners.
It has been listed with a guide price of £40,000 – £25,000 higher than it was bought for five years ago despite the area’s deterioration.
The listing references the sale prices of nearby houses on Moray Park Gardens.
Last week, Highland Council’s principal planner Tim Stott told the Press and Journal this could “mislead” potential purchasers.
That’s because there is no planning permission for housing on the land.
Culloden community would challenge any housing plan
Any potential new owner would likely face a strong local challenge if they did try to clear the park and build houses on the plot.
A previous application to build a house on green space on nearby Moray Park Wynd created a bit of controversy locally earlier this year.
It was ultimately rejected by the council for a variety of reasons. One was that it would result in the loss of an amenity space.
Culloden Community Council would oppose any move to build any homes on the playpark plot.
The group’s chairwoman Catherine Bunn said: “The local community will always challenge any planning that takes away vital amenities and green belt in this area.”
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