- Planning authority
- Adur District Council
- Postcodes
- BN42, BN43
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Sussex
The local picture in Shoreham-by-Sea
Garden plots rarely sit alone. Where several long gardens run side by side, whether in Shoreham-by-Sea, in nearby Lancing, Worthing and Hove or anywhere else, a scheme across two or three of them can be much stronger than one squeezed into a single plot.
Options are a common way to bring those gardens together. Each owner grants an option on their own land, and an agreement between the owners can share the outcome fairly, even though only one garden provides the access. Adur District Council would then consider one well-planned scheme instead of several piecemeal ones.
From first call to decision
To explore an option on your Shoreham-by-Sea garden, send us your address and a few details. We check the title, access and planning background, then call you with an honest view. If an option looks right, heads of terms set out the period, the price formula, the minimum price and the cap on your legal fees, which we cover.
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.
Worth checking early
- Deductions agreed at the start, such as planning costs, reduce what you receive, so check them closely.
- We have the right to buy, not a duty, so a sale isn’t certain even after a long wait.
- With a market value formula, the final price isn’t known until the option is exercised.
Your questions, answered for Shoreham-by-Sea
Is an option better than selling my Shoreham-by-Sea 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.
What happens to my Shoreham-by-Sea 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 Shoreham-by-Sea?
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.
How long would an option on my Shoreham-by-Sea 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 Shoreham-by-Sea
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Sell part of your garden
- Garage courts and yards