When you go to Royan, one of the seaside destinations of Charente-Maritime in France, you can enjoy a good time on the charming sloping beaches, promenades, casino, and parks. The town has this relaxed, family-friendly vibe with a slightly modernist, sun-washed look, and if you feel like shopping, you can even bid on a police station. That is not hogwash, the State is selling the former national police headquarter,a 577 square meter office building in the town center. Yes, it is no French villa, but that does not take away from this very urban piece of real estate.
It is hitting the auction block for nearly $500,000, with a minimum bid increment of almost $6,000. While it is very urban and in a prime location, the fact is the building is in “poor condition” with water infiltration problems. So the new owner is already in for a major overhaul and not just a simple cosmetic refresh. The job list would include plenty of work, like stripping the structure to its bare bones, redoing waterproofing, insulation, windows, and all technical systems. It is essentially an old office-style block that occupies most of its compact plot, which makes it more of a dense city chunk than a sprawling estate.
In addition to the work on the building, there are also a couple of conditions attached. One, money is not enough to become the owner of this police headquarters on the French seaside resort. Top dollar will not help you win favor with the seller, the French State, which keeps the final say. Every bidder has to submit not only a price but also their intention for the property, turning this into a sort of beauty contest rather than a simple bidding war. Secondly, a physical visit to the site is compulsory before you can bid. According to France Bleu, the French State has also stated, matter of factly, that if these conditions are not met, they have no problem rejecting all offers and starting again if none of the projects feel compatible with what they want for the town.
Still, one cannot ignore that this is a great pocket of real estate in a prime location in the heart of a dynamic area, surrounded by shops, services, and carrying the tag of a former police station. It could be a great draw for new businesses like a concept store, gallery, restaurant, or co-working space, where the story of “this used to be the police HQ” becomes part of the decor and the charm. Royan is, after all, a family-friendly, elegant destination, so the idea of turning a place of fluorescent lights and questioning into somewhere you go for coffee, art, or a slow lunch is oddly perfect. For prospective buyers, a visit to the police station would be mandatory for all the right reasons. Bidding will take place exclusively online, from March 24 at 2 pm to March 26 at 4 pm, and for once, going to the police station in Royan might actually be super exciting!
