Go-kart track owned by local inventor goes up for sale

A landmark go-kart site once owned by one of the Bay’s most well-known entrepreneurs is up for sale more than two years after his death.

Buildings are also up for sale, as the former Churston Go-Karts track, a well-known site beside the busy A3022 Paignton to Brixham Road, goes under the hammer.

Commercial property agents Bettesworths are inviting offers for the 2.1-acre freehold site on Dartmouth Road, Churston, on behalf of the executors of its late owner, Vaughan Hatton. Offers are being taken by informal tender, a sealed-bid process, with a deadline of noon on Friday, November 13.

The agents say the site has been attracting attention. Paul Bettesworth, director and head of commercial property at Bettesworths, said: “It’s an interesting project for us, involving two fairly unique properties, particularly the former go-kart track, which occupies a prominent roadside position and has attracted considerable interest from all sorts of prospective purchasers and users.”

He added: “As one of the South West’s leading commercial property agents, we regularly deal with unusual properties, but opportunities like these, both in a very sought-after location with limited availability and such an interesting local history, don’t come along every day.”

The listing describes a 230-metre tarmac circuit, a pit area and parking, with the rest of the land grass. It says the site benefits from “excellent visibility and substantial passing traffic”, and sits next to Churston Traditional Farm Shop, Cayman Golf, the Park and Ride and a paintball centre.

That local history centres on Mr Hatton. The agents say the track was owned by him and run by him and his brother Nigel from the early 1970s, and describe him as a well-known local character, businessman and inventor.

They say he was perhaps most famously responsible for the hookless coat hanger commonly found in hotels and cruise ships.

Mr Hatton lived at the distinctive Butterfly House, Elbury Hall, on Churston Golf Course. The agents describe it as a well-known local landmark, and one of several designed locally by the Torquay architect Mervyn Seal in the early 1960s.

Mr Hatton died on February 4, 2024, aged 87.

The agents say the sale follows “some complications in administering his estate”, and the property is being marketed on behalf of the executors.

The site itself is understood to have started as a learner driver training course in 1964, with go-karting introduced on May 20, 1967. It is understood to have been unused for around a decade.

Anyone hoping to bring the karts back will find conditions attached. The listing says a historic covenant restricts the use of the site as a driver-training centre, with vehicles limited to 25mph, and as a go-kart track, provided the existing track is not extended, engines do not exceed 200cc, speeds do not exceed 25 miles per hour, and the track is not used for commercial racing.

The agents say the property could also suit leisure, tourism or alternative uses, subject to the necessary consents.

The sale is on a tight timescale. The agents say the successful bidder must exchange contracts within seven days of an offer being accepted, with completion within 28 days after that. Offers must be made in writing on a tender form, and a legal pack is available in advance.

The nearby Hatton House, described as a substantial commercial workshop and office property, is also being marketed for sale by Bettesworths on behalf of the executors.

Did you race at Churston Go-Karts, or do you have memories of the track or of Mr Hatton? Get in touch with the Torbay Weekly to share them.