Garden plot option agreements in Conisbrough

An option agreement on your Conisbrough 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 City of Doncaster 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
City of Doncaster Council
Postcodes
DN12
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.8 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
South Yorkshire

Conisbrough: light, access and policy

When we look at a garden in DN12 for a possible option, we measure the things that create uncertainty: the width and ownership of the access, the distance to neighbouring windows, the trees and their roots, and the levels across the plot. Those findings decide how long the option period needs to be and what the agreement asks of us.

If access depends on a neighbour, the option holds your plot while we negotiate. If City of Doncaster Council is likely to want a revised scheme, the period allows for it.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Conisbrough: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.5 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Conisbrough on 21 March sits about 37° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

Here is what happens in Conisbrough. 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.

  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. 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.

  3. 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.

  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

  • 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.
  • We have the right to buy, not a duty, so a sale isn’t certain even after a long wait.

Your questions, answered for Conisbrough

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

Who decides planning on an option plot in Conisbrough?

The decision belongs to City of Doncaster Council, which will weigh the scheme against the council’s Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Our job during the option period is to put in the strongest application the plot allows and answer the council’s questions. The agreement sets out what happens if permission is refused.

What happens to my Conisbrough 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 Conisbrough 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 Conisbrough

Option agreement near Conisbrough

Find out what your garden could become

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