Turbo Island sold for £100k to anonymous buyer

Turbo Island, a small but notorious patch of land in Bristol’s Stokes Croft, has been sold for £100,000 to an anonymous buyer.

The plot, measuring just 0.03 acres, was initially set to be auctioned on 16 October with a guide price of £50,000. However, Oxfordshire-based advertising agency Wildstone, which owns the land, opted for a private sale to a local buyer, bypassing the auction process.

Turbo Island has long been associated with antisocial behavior, often plagued by fly-tipping and littering. Nearly two years ago, efforts were made to clean up the site, including fencing and concreting the area. However, within just 24 hours, the newly installed fencing was torn down, and debris once again covered the space, illustrating the ongoing challenges faced by the community.

Local groups, such as the Stokes Croft Land Trust (SCLT), expressed disappointment at the sale. The SCLT had previously offered the same £100,000 sum last month, but their bid was rejected. A crowdfunding effort by the SCLT and The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft aimed to raise £50,000, but only £2,000 was secured in six months.What the new buyer plans to do with Turbo Island remains unclear, but the land was marketed as a potential development site for a four-storey building, possibly featuring a shop or restaurant on the ground floor with residential flats above. The future of this iconic and controversial spot in Bristol is now in the hands of its mysterious new owner.

A spokesperson for Wildstone said: “A local buyer has come forward with an acceptable offer to purchase our land at 72 Stokes Croft.

“As a result, we are withdrawing the site from auction, pending the completion of due diligence and legal processes. Should everything proceed as expected, we will move to exchange contracts."

The SCLT said it "hopes to be able to work with the new owners of Turbo Island in making sure this iconic and important public square continues to be an invaluable community space in Stokes Croft".

Picture credit: Paul Gillis