- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 6
- City
- Cambridge
How councils in Cambridgeshire look at it
Access is often the reason an option is needed. A garden in Cambridgeshire might have plenty of space but no workable way in, unless a neighbour sells a strip or grants a right of way. Negotiating that can take months, and a ransom strip owner can ask for payment. An option holds the plot while we try, and if access can’t be secured, the option ends and you keep your land. Width matters as well as ownership, since the route has to work for cars and bins, and the new home would also need fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough).
Planning authorities covering Cambridgeshire include Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council.
How it works
Free plot appraisal
We look at your title, the access, the planning history and the policies that apply, then tell you honestly whether an option, an outright sale or a conditional contract fits your plot best. It costs you nothing.
Heads of terms
We set out the option period, the price formula and minimum price, any option fee, our planning obligations and the cap on your reasonable legal fees, which we cover. Nothing is binding at this stage.
Sign the option
Your solicitor and ours agree the option agreement and the plan of the plot. Once it is signed, the option is noted on your title, and you carry on living in your house and using the garden as normal.
Planning work
We commission surveys, design the scheme and apply for planning, keeping you updated and showing you the drawings before submission. The council decides; if it refuses, the agreement sets out whether we revise, reapply or appeal.
Exercise or lapse
If an acceptable permission is granted, we serve notice, the price is fixed by the formula and the sale completes in the agreed time. If not, the option lapses, the entry comes off your title and the land stays yours.
Option agreement in towns across Cambridgeshire
Questions about option agreement in Cambridgeshire
Do you offer option agreements on garden plots in Cambridgeshire?
Yes, where an option is the right fit. That usually means plots where planning is uncertain, more land is needed, or the number of homes is genuinely open. For straightforward plots in Cambridgeshire, an outright sale or a sale subject to planning is often better, and we’ll say so.
Can I sell my house in Cambridgeshire while an option runs on the garden?
Yes, but the option stays attached to the land it covers, and your buyer’s solicitor will see it on the title. Tell us early so the two can be handled together. The order of events can also affect Capital Gains Tax, so take advice from a tax adviser.
How is the price set under a garden plot option in Cambridgeshire?
Usually by a formula based on the market value of the plot with the permission actually granted, less deductions agreed at the start, with a minimum price underneath. Some options use a fixed price instead. Either way, the method is written into heads of terms before anything is signed.
Can neighbours in Cambridgeshire combine their gardens?
Yes. Putting two or more adjoining back gardens together can allow one shared access and a better layout than separate plots. Each owner keeps their house. The owners usually sign a collaboration agreement, with an equalisation clause so that value is shared fairly even though only one garden provides the access. Each household should take its own legal advice.