Kentford's Animal Health Trust HQ on market for £7.85 million

The former headquarters of the Animal Health Trust is up for sale with an asking price of £7.85 million.

The veterinary and scientific research charity was forced into liquidation in July 2020 after months of effort to try and secure future funding failed.

Now the former research and development campus at Kentford, which covers approximately 120 acres, is on the market through agent Bidwells and is being sold on behalf of the receivers.

It has been split into four lots, the most expensive of which, at £4,450,000, is the 24-acre site containing most of the trust’s former buildings including the grade II listed visitor centre, former laboratories, a cancer centre, clinics, and hydrotherapy facilities, as well as equestrian buildings and an all-weather manege.

The agent has suggested that this land could be redeveloped for residential use.

The site also includes 79 acres of established stud land, bordering Lanwades Stud, part of which is the subject of a covenant preventing any residential development until after December 2026, with a price tag of £1.4 million. Another lot, covering around 11 acres and including a range of buildings, and former laboratories and offices, is priced at £1.25 million.

The final lot, covering six acres and including the trust’s former Allen Centre, has an asking price of £750,000. It already has planning consent for five houses.

Bidwells partner, James Wood, who is handling the sale said the site could be sold as one or the lots disposed of separately.

“It is a significant property to come to the market and represents an exciting opportunity in terms of what its future use might be,” he said.

The Animal Health Trust was founded in 1942 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1963. The Queen was its patron until 2016 and a year later it celebrated its 75th anniversary.

It was dedicated to animal health and welfare and it held DNA samples for every thoroughbred registered in the UK and was home to the UK’s largest canine genome bank.

Its work also included equine disease surveillance and it was recognised as a world leading expert in epidemiology and veterinary research.

Soon after the trust went into liquidation its scientific equipment was sold off at auction in October 2020.

When it closed more than 250 staff lost their jobs.