Abandoned Channel 4 Grand Designs project for luxury home available for £600,000 at auction

An ambitious development to convert an underground reservoir into a home was featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs - and is now up for auction for £600,000. In recent years, the Ridley Reservoir has been the focus of an exciting project to convert the drained and disused reservoir into a luxury home.

Located in Alsager, Staffordshire, the reservoir was decommissioned in the 1960s and set to be transformed into a stunning four-bedroom family home where a refurbished water tank would form part of the living space, with a swimming pool, cinema room, and roof terrace too. Ridley Reservoir failed to sell earlier this year after being put on the market for £850,000 and has now been reduced in price in a bid to find someone to take on the unique project. With planning permission approved in March 2019, the current owner has set the foundations for the epic build, with the property’s walls and driveway excavated from the original landscape.

Spanning 8000 square meters, the ambitious project caught the attention of Channel 4 bosses, with Kevin McCloud paying the site a visit as part of filming for the hit architectural show, Grand Designs. However, after a year’s worth of ground work, the old reservoir building is heading to auction, with new owners required to complete the one-of-a-kind dream home.

Situated off Merelake Road in the small market town of Alsager, the site is close to the Staffordshire border. The reservoir backs onto Alsager golf course and is surrounded by picturesque open countryside.

In an online listing on Auction House Cheshire, Staffordshire & Shropshire, the property is described as: “An amazing Grand Designs opportunity.”

They continued: “This is a project for someone with great vision, boasting over 8000 square meters of property. Set in a rural part of Alsager with extensive views, it has development potential perfect for a builder/developer or homeowner looking for their family home to make their own.”

The unfinished development will be offered in an online auction on Monday 22nd January at 1pm, with bidding open for 24 hours only.