- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 2
- County town
- Shrewsbury
Getting it right in Shropshire
Local plans change over time. Councils in Shropshire review their policies, and a review can alter settlement boundaries, allocate sites or adopt new guidance on garden development. An option gives time to work with that cycle rather than against it, which is one reason options are used where the current policy position under the council’s Local Plan is finely balanced. It isn’t a reason to sign a long option on a simple plot, though. The period should match the planning task, and the agreement should say what we must do within it.
Planning authorities covering Shropshire include Shropshire Council, Telford and Wrekin Council.
How it works
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.
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.
Option agreement in towns across Shropshire
Questions about option agreement in Shropshire
Which councils decide planning on option plots in Shropshire?
It depends on where the plot sits. Applications in Shropshire go to the council for the address, among them Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council, and each works to its own Local Plan and the NPPF. During the option period, we submit the application to whichever authority covers your garden and deal with its questions.
How is the price set under a garden plot option in Shropshire?
Usually by a formula based on the market value of the plot with the permission actually granted, less deductions agreed at the start, with a minimum price underneath. Some options use a fixed price instead. Either way, the method is written into heads of terms before anything is signed.
What is the difference between an option and a conditional contract in Shropshire?
Under a conditional contract, both sides are bound from exchange and the sale completes if a satisfactory permission is granted. Under an option, you are bound to sell if we choose to buy, but we aren’t obliged to. Options suit less certain plots; conditional contracts suit clearer ones.
Which national rules apply to a new home in Shropshire?
Garden schemes here sit under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with the local detail coming from the council’s Local Plan. New homes must also meet the Building Regulations. That affects things such as fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). On drainage you’ll usually need a drainage plan the council will want to see, and land purchases fall under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We check which rules apply to your plot as part of the free appraisal.