154-year-old auction mart goes under the hammer

A 154-year-old auction mart building near a major south of Scotland regeneration project is going under the hammer.

Albert Hall, which sits on Port Street in Annan, has a guide sale price of £150,000.

It is located at the opposite end of the street to a multi-million pound harbour regeneration project in the town.

The Annan Harbour Action Group said it would be happy to work with whoever the new owner of the property might be.

The area was once busy with shipbuilding, commerce and fishing, but it declined in the second half of the 20th Century.

Work on a £15.6m redevelopment project is in the process of getting started and is expected to take about two years to complete.

Port Street is home to a number of Georgian houses but the Albert Hall was built in 1872 by auctioneer James McLean.

It has been empty for many years, although there were hopes it could be converted to housing, and planning permission was given to turn it into flats about 20 years ago.

Selling agent Shepherd said it understood redevelopment grants would be available to any buyer purchasing the category B-listed property.

It will require significant investment in order to bring it back into use.