The former magistrates court in Wisbech is go under the auctioneer’s hammer for around £150,000 – but the catch is the new owner will have Cambridgeshire police as a long term tenant.

Cambs Times: Wisbech Court HouseWisbech Court House (Image: Archant)

The whole building is for sale by auction (lot 134) on March 27 by Allsop and includes nearly 5,000 square feet suitable for redevelopment “together with a police station subject to a long lease.”

Cambs Times: Heritage weekend: The mayor, visitors and friends at the former Wisbech magistrates court.Heritage weekend: The mayor, visitors and friends at the former Wisbech magistrates court. (Image: Archant)

HM Courts and Tribunals who have put the defunct courthouse up for auction describe it as being “situated in a prominent position fronting the roundabout junction of the A1101. The property is situated adjacent to the Nene Waterfront Regeneration Project.”

It was the proximity of the waterfront that prompted interest from Fenland Council that came to buying the whole complex but negotiations stalled when police declined an option to move to Wisbech fire station. They claimed it offered them insufficient space.

It means the police station will stay where it is, benefitting from a long lease for a term of 99 years from April 1995”at a peppercorn ground rent”,

Prospective buyers can view the property every Tuesday and Thursday before the auction from 2pm to2.30pm.