Garden plot option agreements in Wigston

An option agreement on your Wigston 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 Oadby and Wigston Borough 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
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
Postcodes
LE18
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.5 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Leicestershire

The local picture in Wigston

Garden plots rarely sit alone. Where several long gardens run side by side, whether in Wigston, in nearby Oadby, Leicester and Earl Shilton 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. Oadby and Wigston Borough Council would then consider one well-planned scheme instead of several piecemeal ones.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Wigston: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.5 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 20.1 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Wigston on 21 March sits about 37° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. In December the sun is only about 14° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

To explore an option on your Wigston garden, send us your address and a few details. We check the title, access and planning background, then call you with an honest view. If an option looks right, heads of terms set out the period, the price formula, the minimum price and the cap on your legal fees, which we cover.

  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. 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.

  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

  • Options have their own Capital Gains Tax treatment, so take advice from a tax adviser before signing.
  • 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 Wigston

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

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.

What happens to my Wigston 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 Wigston 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.

Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you exercise an option over my Wigston 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.

Other options in Wigston

Option agreement near Wigston

Find out what your garden could become

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