The jewel in the crown on the historic Shoebury Garrison site has been sold for a cool £1.15million.

A mystery buyer has splashed out the cash on the 6,000 sq ft old commandant's building which has been converted into a mansion within an acre of spacious grounds.

And there are also plans for another of the older buildings on the plum site - the officers mess - to be converted into a hotel as well as proposals for a school, shops and health centre.

Demand for homes on the site has been exceptionally high, with only five of the 136 homes on sale so far still available. Many of the homes in phase one of the development have sold at well over the £500,000 mark.

Jane Richards, who moved into a house on the development six months ago, said that the sense of community was already strong.

She said: "Me and my partner were very keen to move on to the site. It is great to be here right from the beginning to see the development take shape. Everyone here gets on very well."

Published Friday, January 10, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Echo