- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 4
- City
- Durham
Before you start in County Durham
Access is often the reason an option is needed. A garden in County Durham 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 County Durham include Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough 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 County Durham
- Darlington
- Hartlepool
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Durham
- Chester-le-Street
- Billingham
- Stanley
- Consett
- Newton Aycliffe
- Bishop Auckland
- Seaham
- Peterlee
- Spennymoor
Questions about option agreement in County Durham
Which councils decide planning on option plots in County Durham?
It depends on where the plot sits. Applications in County Durham go to the council for the address, among them Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council, Hartlepool Borough Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, and each works to its own Local Plan and the NPPF. During the option period, we submit the application to whichever authority covers your garden and deal with its questions.
Are my legal fees covered on an option in County Durham?
Yes. We cover reasonable legal fees for your solicitor on an option agreement, up to a cap agreed in heads of terms. That lets you take proper independent advice on the agreement, which you should always do before granting an option over any part of your land.
Do you offer option agreements on garden plots in County Durham?
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 County Durham, an outright sale or a sale subject to planning is often better, and we’ll say so.
Do you buy garden plots in County Durham?
Yes. We buy suitable garden plots across County Durham directly, with or without planning permission, always subject to survey, title and contract. We also offer sales subject to planning, options, planning promotion and joint ventures. Which route fits depends on your plot, so the starting point is a free, no-obligation appraisal.