By Lisa Ramsden
Clare Lodge, St Vincent de Paul’s holiday centre in Newcastle, has gone on the market. After months of speculation, the charity-owned accommodation centre is now up for sale for £1 million — the same amount spent on rebuilding the property a decade ago.
The facility re-opened as a purpose-built holiday centre for vulnerable adults and children in 2016, but has remained vacant since closing its doors in the early days of the Covid pandemic five years ago. Now, the charity has decided to place the property on the market, with agents describing the building as an “exceptional commercial property,” “ideal” for a boutique hotel, in a “prime location” with “stunning” mountain and sea views.
Originally an impressive house, the Ireland-wide charity St Vincent de Paul first opened the property in the 1970s to offer respite breaks for those experiencing the worst of the Troubles in urban areas. It was later demolished and rebuilt, reopening in 2016 with 19 en suite bedrooms. Last week, after months of speculation, the property was officially put up for sale.
A spokeswoman for the charity said: “We can confirm that Clare Lodge has been closed for five years, and the Society of St Vincent de Paul has now placed it on the market for sale. Any proceeds from the sale of the property will be used in the northern region to help alleviate poverty.”
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