Former Meeth Clay Works sold through Jones Lang LaSalle23rd January 2013

The Exeter office of Jones Lang LaSalle has sold the former Meeth Clay Works on behalf of Imerys.

Devon Wildlife Trust has bought the site, located midway between Okehampton and Torrington, and plans to turn the whole property into a wildlife reserve.

The site extends to some 370 acres and includes the two major former quarries, which have been flooded and now form amenity lakes.

The working of clay stopped at Meeth in 2004 and a programme of restoration was undertaken by Imerys, which included a full ecological monitoring programme. Devon Wildlife Trust will continue to restore the site over the next two years.

John Kinsey, director at Jones Lang LaSalle who advised Imerys on the sale said: “Meeth Clay Works is a special place and the area of land with the lakes forms an incredible part of this rural area. It is exceptionally pleasing as the sale has been concluded with the Devon Wildlife Trust who will retain the land in its present format.”

Harry Barton, chief executive of Devon Wildlife Trust said: “I am absolutely thrilled that we are in a position to take on this exciting site. This is largely thanks to support from Viridor Credits Environmental Company and generous individual donors. Over the next two years we will be working hard to develop the site as a nature reserve, which we hope people from across Devon and beyond will be able to enjoy.”

Meeth Clay Works was marketed and formally put to interested parties on a best bid situation. The property has been sold for an undisclosed sum, but was marketed at an asking price of offers in excess of £550,000.