Up for auction is a water tower with planning permission for conversion into a three-bedroom house, guide price £45,000.

Located close to commuter hotspot Newbury, the unusual property is perfect for someone looking for their own Grand Designs conversion project.

“Every now and then a water tower comes up for auction and in the past there has been good demand for these exceptional lots,” Savills auctioneer Steven Cane tells Homes & Property.

“I expect there will be a lot of interest on that day, probably from developers, investors or end users who want to create a unique residence.”

Plans to convert this piece of infrastructure into a single-family home have already been initiated.

The tower, which towers above the surrounding treetops, has planning permission to be converted into a three-bedroom house with a roof terrace.

The entrance would be via a hall on the ground floor and the bedrooms would be built on three further floors under the existing water tank. The tank itself could be converted into a kitchen and dining room and a roof terrace could be built on top.

There would also be space to park two cars in the basement.

The 12.4 metre high water tower was originally built to supply the housing estate on which it stands, which in turn was originally built to supply the American air force base RAF Greenham Common.

It has a metal frame with cross braces that supports a 3.6 meter high water tank.

Although there was already a building permit for the installation of solar panels and a wind turbine on the roof, this has since expired.

Water towers were popular in mid-century England as a way to supply piped water to people’s homes. By placing them high up, gravity was used to maintain water pressure during times of high demand.

After the main water system was upgraded, some of them were sold to people looking for unique home building projects.

Last year, a brutalist-style concrete water tower was auctioned in Cambridgeshire with a guide price of £350,000.

One of Grand Design’s most famous projects was the £2 million conversion of a brick water tower in Kennington, London, into a ten-storey residential building.