Backland Development
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Garden plot option agreements in Ashton-under-Lyne

Options are used on land of all sizes, from farmland to single back gardens. On a garden plot in Ashton-under-Lyne, the same principle applies on a smaller scale: you keep the land, we seek planning, and the sale only happens if we choose to buy once a permission we can work with is granted.

Backland Development is new, part of the S&K Group, and we’d rather be judged on the agreement in front of you than on any history. That means clear terms, your reasonable legal fees covered within an agreed cap, and an honest view on whether an option suits your plot at all.

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Legal agreement, pen and a title plan with a garden plot outlined in red on a desk
Planning authority
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Postcodes
OL6, OL7
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.8 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater Manchester

Ashton-under-Lyne: light, access and policy

Any option agreement on a Ashton-under-Lyne garden is shaped by the council’s Local Plan. If Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council’s current policies clearly support a new home on your plot, an option probably isn’t needed and a simpler route will serve you better. Where the policy position is balanced, or a review of the plan is under way, an option gives time for the planning case to be made properly. We read the relevant policies and recent decisions on similar plots before suggesting an option, and we explain what we found.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Ashton-under-Lyne: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.5 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Ashton-under-Lyne: around 37° of sun at midday in late March and about 13° 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

The first stage, from enquiry to heads of terms, usually takes a few weeks. Agreeing and signing the option itself often takes a few months more, depending on how quickly both solicitors work and whether the title raises questions. The planning work then runs within the option period, at a pace set by surveys, pre-application advice and the decision time at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

  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. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

  • Deductions agreed at the start, such as planning costs, reduce what you receive, so check them closely.
  • We have the right to buy, not a duty, so a sale isn’t certain even after a long wait.
  • Options have their own Capital Gains Tax treatment, so take advice from a tax adviser before signing.

Your questions, answered for Ashton-under-Lyne

Who decides planning on an option plot in Ashton-under-Lyne?

The decision belongs to Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, which will weigh the scheme against the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Our job during the option period is to put in the strongest application the plot allows and answer the council’s questions. The agreement sets out what happens if permission is refused.

Could my neighbours in Ashton-under-Lyne be part of the same option scheme?

Yes. Where neighbouring gardens together would make a better scheme, each owner can grant an option on their own land, and an agreement between the owners can share the outcome fairly. It needs careful drafting and everyone’s agreement, and it often produces a scheme Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council is more likely to approve.

What happens to my Ashton-under-Lyne 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.

How long would an option on my Ashton-under-Lyne garden last?

The period is agreed at the start and should match the planning task: long enough for surveys, an application and, where sensible, a revised scheme or appeal, but no longer. On a single garden it is usually much shorter than on farmland. Any extension should be tied to specific events.

Other options in Ashton-under-Lyne

Option agreement near Ashton-under-Lyne

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