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7/31/2019 Sharkskin Boots 7

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NOVEMBER 9

Time is moving too fast. Its going at the rate of 16,700 miles a day, about the same rate asa jet plane. And Im having to keep up with it by flapping my arms. Its like flying to

Poland and back eight times a day. And its a cheap flight, no movies, no sausage and egg

in a tin foil matchbox, no complimentary drinks and definitely no complimentary staff.

Just a silver bullet whizzing through the gilded atmosphere of commerce.

9.30pm

Hi, jus got back from a meeting in the pub with G. Basically he agrees, he wants me to sellhis site along with mine to V.

The problem is he paid too much for his site in the first place and now he is haemorrhaging

money like a lethal case of oesophagusitis.

Im just frightened hes going to take us down with him. But maybe if I move quick, I can

use his site to actually sell mine old antiques dealers adage but its perfectly true despitethat: Two containers are always worth more than one.

Ive gotta think positive, my barn is the key to this whole shishcaboodle. My young ladyand I are a long way from dead in the water yet.

NOVEMBER 11

The pitch I sent to V:

REASONS TO BUY To S, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

AND A LUCRATIVE SECRET

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. ToS as a Development

3. The Lucrative Secret4. The Bonus Paddock

Introduction:


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ToS is a large country cottage dating back to about 1845. It stands in its own substantial

grounds with a number of outbuildings, including a massive three-storey derelict-lookingcorrugated iron barn (more of which later).

ToS, although charming, has no particular architectural value and is of no historicalsignificance.

However, it stands in a prime spot at the heart of the village of Village of the Damned,

Staffordshire, which, over the years, has become a desirable place to live, attracting

management and executive types.

House prices have started reflecting this and they now range from between 180,000 and500,000 - and beyond.

The village is close to the M6, M6 Toll Road, and the M54 and is within commutingdistance of Manchester, Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham etc.

It has a post office, a shop, a primary school, a restaurant, a traditional British pub, a wealth

of country walks and a wildlife conservation area. It is also less than five miles from

seven or eight good schools.

However, homes in Village of the Damned, particularly at the lower end of the market, are

at a premium.

ToS offers the chance to make a worthwhile contribution to a community and to make asubstantial profit as well!

And then there is The Secret but more of that later!

TOS AS A DEVELOPMENT

The plot is crying out to be developed and ideally lends itself to a mews style development,perhaps even a walled and gated community.

Staffordshires planners seem to be particularly taken by this kind of development at the

moment and one, called Yatess Yard, has been built in Eccleshall, less than four milesfrom Village of the Damned (see Plan B for full details).

The buyer interest in this award-winning development has been phenomenal.

It consists of twelve individually designed properties, made up of a series of linked mews

houses, three detached homes and two apartments (see enclosed details for Yatess Yard)with gardens and ample parking. The price band is 200,000 - 300,000.


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ToS site is substantially the same size as Yatess Yard and has far superior country views.

ToS site also lends itself to a development of nine two-and-a-half storey properties with

gardens and parking. These properties would command a price of approximately 180,000

to 200,000 depending on the finished spec (See Plan A and agency details).

Because of the legal complications surrounding the ownership of ToS which are now

satisfactorily solved, I have only applied for planning permission recently.

My architect has suggested we go for outline planning permission for five four-bedroom

properties. This avoids having to put in an application for a dedicated road etc at this stage.

There will be no problem in getting planning permission outline planning has been

granted before and the property falls within the building line and there is a lot of building

going on in Village of the Damned. Access to the site is fine.

I have also been assured by the planning department that there will be no problem over

demolishing ToS. (Demolishing the property would leave a wealth of architectural reclaim everything from Victorian bricks and slates to old ships beams and planking and

floorboards).

The profitability in this site is substantial: The maximised value of the built site is in the

region of 1 million to 1.2 million and I am sure it can be far more intensively and

imaginatively built than my own hand-drawn plans show.

My estimates show that at 395,000 for the land and then a build price of 385,000 (which

is very high considering the wealth of architectural salvage from ToS and the current cost

of building) would leave a profit margin of almost 40 per cent.

This obviously leaves plenty of room for contingencies etc.

ToS site has been valued by five estate agencies at between 375,000 and 425,000.

THE LUCRATIVE SECRET

We have, on occasions, discussed the builder who bought the site of the Cromwell Tavern,next door to ToS, 14 months ago.

The consensus of opinion was that he was waiting for me to reach the stage where I couldsell up to him.

My derelict-looking but structurally sound - barn is a blight on his development and it

has been estimated that it would devalue each house on his site by 30,000. Basically, each


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of his properties would have my 35ft high barn towering above them.

But after all this time, it transpires the builder cant afford to buy me out and, in fact, hehas decided to restore the Cromwell Tavern itself (which is in a dreadful and unsound

condition) and try to sell it as a three-bedroom house to finance the next part of his

development.

It is a folly.

If he continues down this line he risks destroying the potential of the site. He will also end

up with a relatively unmarketable property for the following reasons:

First: the Cromwell Tavern is three feet from the carriageway of the A519 which makes itdeeply unattractive to the family market (there is no objection to it being demolished in

fact the highways department would welcome it).

Second: it has a narrow and dark corridor by the side of my land which serves as a backyard and my barn looms over what would be its garden.

Third: my barn looms over the whole property and blots out the sunlight from what would

conceivably be the garden area.

Fourth: the builder would be attempting to sell an unattractive property, by the side of the

road, next to my barn on what would inevitably become a building site as development

continues.

Fifth: the builder has persuaded a local farmer to demolish two extensions to the Cromwell

for the price of the hardcore. This isnt the action of a businessman who is forging ahead

with a major development.

So, the secrets out the man wants to sell up and try to recoup his money.

He says that he will accept 700,000 for the land Im sure hell accept less: say 635,000.

But remember, if his land is joined up with mine, you would have a very substantial site

which, according to my architect, would lend itself to extremely intensive development. Hesuggests 15 houses at 200,000 each.

That means that the joint sites should realise a minimum of build value of 3 million.

The land would cost jointly say 1 million and build costs etc 1 million. This would leave

a potential profit margin of 33pc.

Although percentage-wise ToS site would realise a far larger profit, the joint sites would

show an exceptional return.


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The Cromwell Tavern would be sold with planning permission and the two sites together

would be 130 per cent larger than the award-winning development at Yatess Yard, which

we have already said contains 12 properties.

Simple maths therefore says that the Cromwell/Old Stores site could cope with 24

charming country-style mews homes.

A bit of imagination and some skilled contemporary design thinking could make this an

award-winning venture just like Yatess Yard which would be worth millions.

THE BONUS PADDOCK

So, to the final bonus a paddock attached to the Cromwell Tavern behind ToS.

Although the paddock lies outside the building lines at the moment, there is a distinct

possibility that it could be used as building land when the next Village Plan begins in fiveyears time. New building lines on another development adjacent to the paddock indicate

that this will happen.

I do know that a covenant has been attached to the paddock claiming a percentage of the

sale price if it ever becomes building land.

However, the paddock lends itself to another substantial development in the not too distantfuture and would be included in the asking price. I think the covenant is negotiable and not

a major problem.

With all three elements, the joint ToS/Cromwell Tavern development becomes a major

multi-million option. 4000

NOVEMBER 21

V turns me down, and asks me why I sent him the proposal. I remind him politely that heasked me to. He goes into to quick-fire mode telling me hes got too much on hes got

kids he needs to take to the zoo businesses all over the world. And his ultimate dream of

being theMan who Saved the World, through his ecologically sound hotel and his Epot

Centre.

The clinching argument how could he control a building site 120 miles down the road.

Well, I wanted to ask how the fuck does he control multi-million pound business across theworld then?

I feel like hes let me down and I think he knows it.


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I get gung-ho, dont let a new inflection into my voice. I laugh and tell him its okay and I

look forward to seeing him again.

And I mean it, but secretly, I am so pissed off. Still, Ill keep my faith with him and I wont

try to stitch him or hurt him. He told me never to underestimate him. Well, he should never

underestimate me either.

I phoned G. G is a devastated man at the news. I realise that he really is going down the

gongapooch.

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