A FORMER coastguard station from which lifesaving teams would be deployed is set to go under the hammer for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The Thames Coastguard Station, in East Terrace, Walton, was closed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency back in 2015 in a bid to make the service more efficient.

For a while, a small communications team remained at the centre, as it became a coastal hub from which volunteer coastguard teams in Essex could be managed.

These days it is completely disused and is now set to be handed over to the highest bidder, following the Walton Coastguard’s move to a station in Arthur Ransome Way.

Advertised by Allsop, a successful property auction house, the long-standing building is scheduled to be sold-off during an online auction, next Thursday.

It is expected to fetch at least £250,000, and being within walking distance of both the Walton seafront and the pier, it is a potentially attractive purchase.

Despite its rich coastguard history, the highest bidder will have scope to develop on the site, subject to approval from the relevant authorities.

Hilary Carter, who is part of the Saves Our Spaces Walton group, is worried any further development in the area could put pressure on the town's ability to deliver vital services.

"It’s a great location but obviously any redevelopment would have to be in keeping with the area," she said.

"East Terrace has some wonderful historic properties, but creating new homes always comes down to the same thing.

"How many more pupils can the school manage to take and will the local doctors surgery have space for new patients?"

Paul Tovell, who is the Walton Coastguard station manager, however, believes seeing the former station repurposed will truly mark the start of a new chapter for his team.

“As far as the closure of the old station goes, I'm actually quite excited about the future,” he said.

“Like all organisations there are changes and developments in communications and systems which mean that strategic national services can be better coordinated.

“And Her Majesty’s Coastguard is no exception.

“The positive thing is that the coastguard’s search and rescue capability remains firmly established in the area to serve the local community and those who visit.”

As much as the coastguard’s former headquarters had become a staple of East Terrace, Mr Tovell believes the new station is more fit for purpose.

Its new location, for example, makes it much easier for the team to quickly deploy and travel to an incident without delay.

“We cover the whole of the Tendring area and the location of the new station at Walton allows our teams to respond much more efficiently to incidents,” he said.

“In the past we have had to make our way along the seafront in busy conditions to get to the station and back out again.

“However, the new location means that the risk of delay is significantly reduced.”