- Planning authority
- Hertsmere Borough Council
- Postcodes
- WD6, WD7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
The local picture in Borehamwood
Garden plots rarely sit alone. Where several long gardens run side by side, whether in Borehamwood, in nearby Bushey, Barnet and Potters Bar or anywhere else, a scheme across two or three of them can be much stronger than one squeezed into a single plot.
Options are a common way to bring those gardens together. Each owner grants an option on their own land, and an agreement between the owners can share the outcome fairly, even though only one garden provides the access. Hertsmere Borough Council would then consider one well-planned scheme instead of several piecemeal ones.
The next steps, locally
Here is what happens in Borehamwood. 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
- 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.
- With a market value formula, the final price isn’t known until the option is exercised.
Questions about garden plots in Borehamwood
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you exercise an option over my Borehamwood plot?
No. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is paid by the buyer of land, so any amount due on completion falls to us. As the seller, you may have Capital Gains Tax to consider, and options have their own rules on timing, so take advice from a tax adviser before signing.
Do I still own my garden in Borehamwood 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.
Could my neighbours in Borehamwood 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 Hertsmere Borough Council is more likely to approve.
Will you cover my legal fees on an option in Borehamwood?
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.
Other options in Borehamwood
- Large rear gardens
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards