FORMER allotments close to Wycombe town centre are about to become fertile ground for a gated estate of upmarket mobile homes.

The 4.95-acre site in Bassetsbury Lane a mile east of the town centre is owned by Wycombe District Council.

Back in the 1930s it was used for landfill. When it ceased to be a tip it was sealed with a cap to prevent contamination.

In more recent times the land was regularly dug over at weekends by keen gardeners hoping for a good crop of home grown spuds and green veg.

The greatest need now is to help solve the housing crisis.

Having “resolved to grant planning consent for 40 Park Homes”, the local authority is inviting offers in the region of £4.5m for the freehold of the five acres within walking distance of the station and town centre.

Alternatively the council is ready to consider a joint venture arrangement. Under these terms, the local authority as vendor would be responsible for remedial work to the site to make it suitable as a high quality Park Homes estate, much like the one on the approach road to Henley judging by the description.

Swiss Farm Park in Henley ,within walking distance of the town centre and river, was voted the Park of the Year in 2015. The smart style of the properties and the Marlow Road development attracts downsizers. It enables them to buy a place in Henley, a town which would otherwise be outside their price bracket.

Two newly built homes recently came on the market at Swiss Farm similar to the one pictured by the BFP on the Henley estate in August last year.

Each of the new ranch-style bungalows has two double bedrooms, a walk-in wardrobe in the master suite, a feature fireplace in the lounge, state of the art fitted kitchen and a private garden with a brick built shed. One has a living area of 924 sq ft. The price for this is £385,000.

The other with a living area 1,144 sq ft is £465,000. Both properties are exempt from stamp duty. One was sold almost as soon as it came up for sale.

Each twin sized unit on the Wycombe development will measure about 40 ft by 22. Some plots will be large enough for the property to be extended. The sales details suggest prices for a bungalow here will start at £250,000 and the fee for a pitch will be about £200 a month.

The purchaser in a joint venture partnership would be responsible for bringing the mains services from the roadside to each Park Home and also for the general landscaping and appearance of the estate.

It will also be beholden on the joint venture partner to “purchase homes for sale or rental,” as well as providing the entrance gate, street lighting and the final finish for the estate road.

Setting out their stall in the sales details, the council states: “The vendors are seeking either an outright disposal of their freehold interest or a joint venture whereby the bases [and/or] park homes are developed and sold to individual owners with the proceeds of the sale divided on a basis to be agreed, with the vendors retaining the ongoing annual pitch fees in the long term.”

On one of the boundaries is a new footpath and cycleway on what was previously a railway line track. It will enable future residents on the Park Homes estate to walk to the town centre and station.