- Planning authority
- West Suffolk Council
- Postcodes
- IP28
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Suffolk
What the council will look at in Mildenhall
Light can decide the size of the scheme an option leads to. Take the figures for Mildenhall: a midday sun of about 38° in late March means a wall rising 5 m to the eaves shades roughly 6.5 m of ground behind it, and with the December sun near 14°, that shade grows considerably.
Those figures help explain why a plot that could take two homes in one layout might take only one in another. Under a price formula, that difference flows through to the price, which is one reason options suit plots where the outcome is open.
What happens next in Mildenhall
Here is what happens in Mildenhall. 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.
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.
- 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.
Mildenhall: questions to ask
Do I pay Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) if you exercise an option over my Mildenhall 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 Mildenhall?
The decision belongs to West Suffolk 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.
Could my neighbours in Mildenhall 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 West Suffolk Council is more likely to approve.
How long would an option on my Mildenhall 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.
Other options in Mildenhall
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Large rear gardens