A SITE in Headington is to be auctioned with a guide price of more than £2.2m, prompting uncertainty about the future of stores there.

Kennett House, in London Road, comprises Iceland supermarket, HSBC, two charity shops, Oxford Brookes University offices and 20 car parking spaces.

According to the Land Registry, the building has been owned by Lagentium Estates Limited since April 2001 and currently receives £223,150 a year in rent. The seller’s solicitors are Plainlaw solicitors.

Company spokesman Stephen Stratton said he ‘did not need’ to reassure shopkeepers ahead of Tuesday’s auction, organised by Allsop LLP Commercial. The guide price for the building is £2.25m to £2.5m.

He said: “They are fully aware of what’s going on.”

But when approached by the Oxford Mail, both charity shops in the building — Marie Curie Cancer Care and Clic Sargent Cancer Care — said they were unaware of the auction.

A spokesman for Oxford Brookes University, which lease two floors of offices above the shops, said they were aware of the auction and were not concerned about its implications.

Councillors said they were worried about potential loss of retail space, an important and ongoing issue in Headington.

The county councillor for Headington and Quarry, Roz Smith, said: “It would be a shame if Kennett House was sold for a large housing block.”

Ruth Wilkinson, Headington city councillor, added: “The percentage of units for retail use is set out in the local plan, and we don't currently have enough of those in Headington at the moment.”