14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, a public toilet in the UK was auctioned off and sold for an impressive ₤415,000 (nearly €523,000 / $652,000) to one seriously lucky bidder who said that they would like to remain anonymous.
What's interesting is that, by the looks of it, the folks who organized the auction expected the toilet block, photos of which are included in the gallery below, to sell for just £100,000 (about €126,000 / $157,000).
Apparently, the bidder who won the auction wanted this washroom so badly that they were ready and willing to part with a fairly hefty sum of money just to make it their own.
Not the best toilet block in town
The washroom in question is located in the town of Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, Metro informs. It was closed back in 2009, after local authorities introduced a bill making it possible for folks in the area to use toilets in pubs, restaurants and shops.
Apart from the fact that it is, well, a toilet block, this rather small piece of infrastructure in the town of Walton-on-Thames has no planning permission. In other words, trying to turn it into a home or anything of the sorts is pretty much illegal.
Add to this the fact that the plot of land on which the washroom sits covers an area of just 0.06 acres (some 243 square meters / 2,613 square feet), and it's no wonder that plenty of people are scratching their heads trying to figure out why anyone would buy it.
More so given the fact that, as mentioned, the washroom's new owner had to cough out a jaw-dropping ₤415,000 (almost €523,000 / $652,000) to win the auction and make it their own. Was this anonymous bidder so desperate to have an entire toilet block all for themselves?
Not such a bad investment, after all
It just so happens that, contrary to what some might be thinking right about now, the guy or gal who bought the washroom is not completely out of their mind. Thus, it is understood that, given the right paperwork, the washroom has great potential for redevelopment.
As explained by the people behind this rather peculiar auction, this is because it is located in the town of Walton-on-Thames' conservation area, where houses are pretty expensive and stand to become even more valuable in the years to come.
One can only hope that the lucky bidder who is now the owner of this establishment will manage to obtain the planning permission they need to subject the toilet block to an extreme makeover.
