A York housing trust is selling a large historic estate in the heart of the city.
The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) has ruled out turning Lamel Beeches, off Heslington Road, into affordable homes.
Instead it is inviting bids for the former nursing home, with the aim of reinvesting that money into future housing projects.
It is being marketed by Savills, which says it was “instructed to dispose of this property as it is considered to be unsuitable for affordable housing”.
Originally part of the Retreat psychiatric home, the 1.59 acre site includes properties with a floor area of more than 24,000 sq ft.
There are 37 en-suite bedrooms across the site.
The details state: “Lamel Beeches takes its name from Lamel Hill, which is a scheduled monument immediately south of the grounds that include Roman burial remains and was the location of a Parliamentary gun-battery during the Civil War siege of York in 1644.
“We understand Lamel Beeches itself was originally constructed after the turn of the 20th century, initially serving as the superintendent’s residence for the adjoining Retreat Hospital.
“Subsequently the property has been converted from residential use into a care home, with a series of extensions during the 1980s.”
Lamel Beeches closed in 2022. At the time, the JRHT said it had to close for financial reasons, because it had been “operating with high room vacancy rates for the past two years”.
The original red brick building has two floors and a cellar. There is also a two-storey and single storey extension on the site, along with garages and car parking.
Lamel Beeches also contains a Grade II* registered park and garden.
The details say: “Subject to the necessary consent, the site would be suitable to a number of uses, including redevelopment to residential, or continued care use.”
A spokesperson for JRHT told YorkMix: “JRHT did consider using the property for affordable homes, but it was not suitable for a few reasons including the layout and condition of the building, constraints due to the listed elements of the grounds.
“As JRHT is a not for profit organisation, any surplus generated from the sale will be reinvested into the core activities of the organisation.
“JRHT has a development programme which aims to provide 1,000 new and affordable homes.
“As part of this, we have recently been granted planning permission to build 117 new family homes in New Earswick. We have also worked alongside a local home builder, Gateway Developments to submit plans to build 114 new and affordable homes off Sim Balk Lane in York.”
They said there was no asking price for the property. “We are seeking offers from interested parties.”
If you are interested in the property, you can find full details on the Savills website.