Garden plot option agreements in Hailsham

An option agreement on your Hailsham garden plot gives us the exclusive right to buy it once planning is granted, while you carry on owning and using the land. We do the design and planning work, and the price is normally set by a formula agreed before you sign, with a minimum underneath it.

We cover reasonable legal fees for your own solicitor, with the cap agreed in heads of terms. If Wealden District Council doesn’t grant an acceptable permission within the option period, or we decide not to buy, the option ends and the plot stays yours.

Legal agreement, pen and a title plan with a garden plot outlined in red on a desk
Planning authority
Wealden District Council
Postcodes
BN27
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
East Sussex

Before you decide in Hailsham

Neighbours in BN27 will hear about any application on your plot, and the option agreement can set out how and when that happens. Some owners prefer to talk to adjoining neighbours themselves before plans are public; others are happy for the council’s own notice to do the job.

Either way, we design with neighbours in mind, because privacy, light and the effect of a new access are among the first things Wealden District Council considers. A scheme that answers those concerns in advance usually has a smoother time.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Hailsham: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.8 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Hailsham: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 16° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

From first call to decision

Here is what happens in Hailsham. A conversation first, then a desk check, then a visit if the plot looks promising. We put proposed terms in writing, without obligation, and you take advice on them with your legal fees covered within the agreed cap. Nothing is binding until you sign the option agreement itself, and the appraisal costs nothing.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

  • Your plot is tied up for the option period and can’t be sold to anyone else meanwhile.
  • We have the right to buy, not a duty, so a sale isn’t certain even after a long wait.
  • Deductions agreed at the start, such as planning costs, reduce what you receive, so check them closely.

Questions about garden plots in Hailsham

Will you cover my legal fees on an option in Hailsham?

Yes. We cover reasonable legal fees for your own solicitor on an option agreement, up to a cap agreed in heads of terms. Choose a solicitor experienced with development land, and agree the cap with us before they begin, so their fees stay within it.

Do I still own my garden in Hailsham during an option?

Yes. An option is a right to buy, not a sale, so the land stays yours until we exercise the option and the sale completes. You carry on using the garden, and the option is noted on your title so the plot can’t be sold elsewhere while it runs.

Is an option better than selling my Hailsham garden plot outright?

Not always. An outright sale is quicker and certain once contracts are exchanged. An option suits plots where planning is uncertain or more land is needed, because it gives us time without forcing a guess at the price. Our free appraisal compares the routes for your plot.

What happens to my Hailsham plot if the option ends?

It stays yours, and the entry on your title is removed. You’re free to keep, sell or develop the land. If a permission was granted before the option ended, it generally stays with the land, though it will need to be started within its time limit.

Other options in Hailsham

Option agreement near Hailsham

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.