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- Swansea
Before you start in West Glamorgan
Local plans change over time. Councils in West Glamorgan 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 Development Plan (LDP) 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 West Glamorgan include City and County of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot County Borough 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 West Glamorgan
Questions about option agreement in West Glamorgan
What is the difference between an option and a conditional contract in West Glamorgan?
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.
How is the price set under a garden plot option in West Glamorgan?
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.
Are my legal fees covered on an option in West Glamorgan?
Yes. We cover reasonable legal fees for your solicitor on an option agreement, up to a cap agreed in heads of terms. That lets you take proper independent advice on the agreement, which you should always do before granting an option over any part of your land.
Can you build a new home in my garden in West Glamorgan for me to keep?
Yes. Through our design and build route we survey your plot, design a new home with you, apply for planning and, once permission is granted, build it. You keep the land and the new home, to sell, let or use for family. You get a written quote after design and survey, and any earlier guide price is a guide only.