- Planning authority
- Wiltshire Council
- Postcodes
- SN11
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Wiltshire
The local picture in Calne
Garden plots rarely sit alone. Where several long gardens run side by side, whether in Calne, in nearby Chippenham, Devizes and Melksham 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. Wiltshire Council would then consider one well-planned scheme instead of several piecemeal ones.
The next steps, locally
Here is what happens in Calne. 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.
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
- Options have their own Capital Gains Tax treatment, so take advice from a tax adviser before signing.
- With a market value formula, the final price isn’t known until the option is exercised.
- Your plot is tied up for the option period and can’t be sold to anyone else meanwhile.
Questions about garden plots in Calne
How long would an option on my Calne 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.
Is an option better than selling my Calne 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 Calne 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 Calne?
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.
Other options in Calne
- Large rear gardens
- Sell part of your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot