- Planning authority
- Northumberland County Council
- Postcodes
- NE46
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Northumberland
What the council will look at in Hexham
Any option agreement on a Hexham garden is shaped by the council’s Local Plan. If Northumberland County 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.
What happens next in Hexham
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 Northumberland County Council.
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.
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.
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
- Your plot is tied up for the option period and can’t be sold to anyone else meanwhile.
- 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.
Your questions, answered for Hexham
How long would an option on my Hexham 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.
Do I still own my garden in Hexham 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.
What happens to my Hexham 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.
Will you cover my legal fees on an option in Hexham?
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 Hexham
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a new home in your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Large rear gardens