- Planning authority
- Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
- Postcodes
- NP13
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- LDP
- County
- Gwent
Abertillery: light, access and policy
During an option on a Abertillery plot, most of the work happens with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, testing the scheme against the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP). We usually start with pre-application advice where it is offered, then commission surveys, prepare the drawings and submit the application, keeping you informed at each step.
The new home must meet the Building Regulations as they apply in Wales as well as planning, so the design allows from the start for bin collection distances and for sprinklers, which every new home in Wales must have. If the council refuses, the agreement says whether we revise, reapply or appeal within the option period.
The next steps, locally
Here is what happens in Abertillery. 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.
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.
Worth checking early
- With a market value formula, the final price isn’t known until the option is exercised.
- We have the right to buy, not a duty, so a sale isn’t certain even after a long wait.
- Your plot is tied up for the option period and can’t be sold to anyone else meanwhile.
Your questions, answered for Abertillery
Do I still own my garden in Abertillery 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.
How long would an option on my Abertillery 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.
What happens to my Abertillery 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.
Is an option better than selling my Abertillery 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.
Other options in Abertillery
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Garage courts and yards
- Plot feasibility and design
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot