Extremely unique Lancashire building that was a former naval radar station set to sell for just £50k

Overlooking the Irish Sea, this small building has a strong naval history and is already sparking interest before it goes under the hammer. An iconic former radar station with stunning coastal views is going to auction - with a guide price of just £50,000.

The grade II listed ex-naval observatory, in Fleetwood, Lancashire, served for decades as a base for coastal masters and crews to train on the latest tracking technologies. And now the local council has put the single-storey oval building up for auction in the hope that a new loving owner will preserve it for years to come.

It was originally built in 1961 by Lancashire County Council's architects and stands next to the town's Victorian lighthouse, alongside Fleetwood Promenade. The structure, which is raised above the level of high tide, has a timber floor and door and a reinforced concrete flat roof - with visitors climbing steps to go inside.

Historic England praised its "elegant, modern design" and said the lighthouse and radar station show "the history of communications side by side". Similar accolades include a 1965 Civic Trust Commendation, which singled it out as a "modest yet dramatic little building".

While the art historian and architect Sir Nikolaus Pevsner called it "a cute little piece". It was transferred to Blackpool and the Fylde College in 1996, but will soon be assigned back to Lancashire County Council as the original leaseholder.

A council spokesperson said some renovation is needed to restore the building to its former glory. Any future owner will be required to apply to Wyre Borough Council to vary the covenant, which stipulates its use as a Radar Instruction Centre. However, they added that the building's iconic status and distinguished naval history had already sparked considerable interest.

Alan Vincent, from Lancashire County Council, said: "This little building forms a historic and attractive feature, and taken with the historic 1840 lighthouse, forms a vital testimony to Fleetwood's distinguished naval past as well as showing the history of naval communications in our midst in Lancashire. We hope that by placing this iconic building up for auction, an essential part of our region's wonderful marine history can be preserved for the future, along with Lancashire's distinguished legacy of naval communications in times gone by."