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Land auction near charity postponed after concerns

BBC The Gables Cats and Dogs Home entrance. The door is on the right with a black frames and windows. On the right is a vibrant orange sign with a silhouette of a dog and a cat under a roof, with the word 'Gables' below. There is a blue plant pot beside it and a car parked in the parking area behindBBC
National Highways said it was "obliged" to sell surplus land at market value, which meant the land should be offered to the public on the open market

An animal rescue centre said a public auction by National Highways to sell two plots of land has been postponed after causing staff "a lot of sleepless nights".

Staff at Gables Cats and Dogs Home, in Plymstock, Devon said they were "shocked" when a sale sign was put near its main entrance on 9 November.

General manager Claire Sparkes said on Monday the auction was postponed from 4 December to February 2025.

National Highways said: "Given the concerns raised by neighbouring occupiers we have taken the decision to defer the auction to permit ample time for all parties to understand the extent of land to be sold and any impacts of this on them."

Claire Sparkes looking to right wearing a black coat with a red zip and red writing on the left. There is a logo on the right of the coat. There is an orange sign on the left behind her with a silhouette of a dog and cat under a roof. Under the logo is the words 'Gables' and '204 Merafield Road.' Behind the sign is the plot of land which has green bushes and a wooden fence around it
The two plots of land, either side of the Gables entrance, will go to auction in February 2025

Ms Sparkes said the charity have been trying to obtain the plots, which are in total about 0.3 acres, since 2016 when the Merafield Road bridge was replaced.

"At the time we were negotiating with National Highways."

"It all went quiet during the pandemic and since then, we haven’t really been able to get much of a response from them."

However, after being told the auction was being postponed, the charity has since been able to "liaise with National Highways directly".

“It gives us the opportunity for our queries to be answered and our concerns over sale of this land," she said.

“It is positive steps in the right direction. We still have a long way to go but it is good news for our charity.

When a sign was first erected, Ms Sparkes said there was "a lot of sleepless nights".

She said: “We are concerned about going to auction because we don’t know the price is going to get to.

"It may be out of our reach."

Three volunteers stood with three dogs outside one of the dog paddocks. On the left is a man wearing an orange coat and holding a the lead to a black dog with a blue muzzle. In the middle is a woman wearing all black, with an orange zip and hat holding a white and black dog on a lead. On the right is a woman knelt on one knee wearing an orange top, with blue and purple hair holding a black dog with a brown muzzle
Claire Sparkes said the thought of an auction was "worrying" as they could get outbid

Ms Sparkes said: "We are really worried about what will happen to our site, our entrance...

“We have dog paddocks behind both sets of land which are up for auction.

"We have very noise sensitive dogs, and they are affected by what goes on around them, so whatever noise from whatever gets put there, it could have a have a huge impact on our animal’s welfare which is really worrying for us.

“It also means we won’t be able to use these dog paddocks because a lot of our dogs are from abusive backgrounds and are terrified of strangers and noises."

She said the charity did not "expect to get the land for free" and wanted to negotiate a "fair price".

“Our main objective is to liaise with National Highways directly rather than having to go back to auction which itself is worrying because if there is a technical issue on the day, internet can go down or anything like that can happen last minute.

“We do not want to be in that stressful situation. We may not get to that, but we are preparing ourselves for that possibility."

A fundraiser was set up to help raise money towards the auction.

'Fair and transparent'

Ms Sparkes added: “A huge thanks to everyone’s support so far. We are grateful because it has enabled us to get this auction postponed.

"The power of our local community strikes again. We are really grateful for everyone’s help and support.”

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “We appreciate and empathise with the animal shelter’s interest in the purchase of land close to their estate.

“In terms of managing the public purse, all Government agencies, companies and departments, including National Highways, are bound by Treasury guidance and are obliged to sell surplus land at market value, which means, land should be offered to the public on the open market.

“The sale of this land, by auction, provides a fair and transparent opportunity for any potential buyer to make a bid.”

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