WATCH: A historic Solent fort has been sold

A private buyer plans to develop the site for 'leisure use'

Published 26th Oct 2021

One of the three historic forts in the Solent has been sold.

Horse Sand, which is derelict, has been bought for ÂŁ715,000 by a private buyer.

It's believed they plan to develop the site for leisure use, although further details have yet to be released.

The two other forts - which have been turned into luxury hotels - are still up for sale.

The three forts had been owned by entrepreneur Mike Clare who decided to sell them in 2019.

The entrepreneur is keen to sell the remaining forts off the coast of the Isle of Wight and working with Colliers has now set a deadline for bids for No Man’s Fort.

The 99,000 sq ft island is currently developed as a 23-bedroom luxury island retreat which was refurbished in 2015, with spa, restaurants, helipad, and events space. More recently additional landing stages and new generators have been installed, as well as the fort’s own pub.

Previously No Man’s Fort was marketed for £4.25million, but now the asking price has been dropped to £3.6million and deadline of Friday 26 November set for bids.

Paul Barrasford from Colliers’ Hotel Agency said: “Following our recent sale of Horse Sand Fort, Mr Clare is keen to progress on No Man’s Fort and has reduced the asking price to £3.6m and set a deadline for offers to come forward.

“There are not many people who can say that they own a fort, this site could be an amazing addition to a property portfolio, whether it is used as a hotel as it is now, a holiday residence or converted into a different use.

“For a creative investor it could be many uses such as a data centre, specialist athletic training venue, a filming location, or even a headquarters for a fast-growing start-up. Its remote location offers the ultimate privacy and security.”

The third Spitbank Fort is also available for purchase under separate negotiation.