The owner of an Inverness playpark has slashed 25% off its asking price after it drew a blank on an online auction site.
Ibrahim Mohammed bought the green space in Moray Park Gardens, Culloden for £15,000 in 2019.
The park was well used by families back when it was constructed in the early 2000s.
But these days it’s badly overgrown and broken glass is scattered across the playground.
Even the for sale sign itself has been ripped down and set alight.
Despite its drawbacks, the land was listed for sale by Prime Property Auctions last August with a guide price of £40,000 – nearly three times what Mr Mohammed paid for it.
It attracted some bids but none reached the reserve price.
Now, after nearly six months of failing to sell, the price has been reduced to £30,000.
Playpark sale listing could ‘mislead’ potential buyers
The listing states that the 0.8 acre plot would “lend itself for a variety of uses”, subject to necessary research and permissions.
It goes on to reference the sale prices of nearby houses on Moray Park Gardens.
But 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.
That’s because there is no planning permission for housing on the land.
Highland Council‘s principal planner Tim Stott previously told the Press and Journal the auction site’s listing could “mislead” potential purchasers.
A previous application to build a house on green space on nearby Moray Park Wynd created a bit of controversy locally last year.
It was ultimately rejected by the council for a variety of reasons. One was that it would result in the loss of 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.”
Owner blames ‘difficult market’ for plot not selling
Mr Mohammed may still end up making a tidy profit on his 2019 investment.
But it will be less than the £35,000 and £36,000 offers made for the plot when it first went to auction on August 31.
Those were rejected at the time for falling below the £40,000 reserve value.
The Press and Journal asked Mr Mohammed why he thought the property had not sold so far.
He said: “It’s not just my property that’s like this, it’s a difficult market.”
Asked why it was listed for so much more than it was bought for while still in a state of disrepair, he replied: “I don’t have anything to say.”
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