Option agreement for land in Clwyd
You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.
An option agreement gives us the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within an agreed period, usually once planning is secured. The landowner is usually paid an option premium on signing and keeps the land meanwhile. On option agreements we pay the landowner's reasonable legal costs, with a cap agreed in the heads of terms.
Option agreement for land in Clwyd
Considering an option agreement for land in Clwyd? Here is how it works and where it fits. Clwyd covers north-east Wales, from Wrexham, Deeside, Buckley, Mold and Flint to the coastal towns of Rhyl, Prestatyn, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno and the market towns of the Vale of Clwyd. Typical sites include edge-of-town fields, former industrial land around Deeside and Wrexham, farm buildings and village infill. There is no grey belt in Wales, but Future Wales anticipates a green belt around Wrexham and Deeside, and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape is a major constraint.
The A55 coast road and the Wrexham to Bidston and North Wales Coast rail lines link the main towns with Chester and Merseyside. Coastal flood risk under TAN 15 is significant around Rhyl and Prestatyn, and phosphate limits in parts of the River Dee catchment have affected some schemes.
In Wales, planning decisions are guided by Planning Policy Wales and Future Wales: the National Plan 2040, with land for housing identified through each council's Local Development Plan, including candidate site stages when plans are reviewed.
Parts of Wales lie in river catchments where phosphate levels in protected rivers affect new housing, so drainage and nutrient solutions can be an early question.
Parts of Clwyd fall within Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape and Eryri National Park. Protected landscapes carry strong policy protection, so land in or next to them needs particularly careful assessment.
In short: you grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning. It usually suits farmland and larger edge-of-settlement sites; strategic land needing local development plan promotion; owners happy to wait for a better price. See how an option agreement works for the full process, pros and cons.
Land in Clwyd that often suits an option agreement
WantedLand without planning permission
Plenty of land around Mold has never had permission. What we look for first is whether new homes would fit with the existing pattern of the place. Suits bigger sites or longer timescales; you are paid a premium and keep the land meanwhile.
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WantedBrownfield land
In Mold, the brownfield sites we look at are often tucked behind main roads or alongside older housing, close to services. Less common, but possible on larger regeneration land.
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WantedGarden and backland plots
Around Mold, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. Helpful where several gardens are being combined over time.
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WantedFarmland and paddocks
Fields that wrap around the edges of Mold and its neighbouring villages are the farmland we most want to talk about. The usual route for larger farmland: you keep farming and we promote the land.
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WantedStrategic land
Larger landholdings on the approaches to Mold are where strategic land usually comes from, particularly near transport links. The standard route: we fund promotion and you are paid on sale.
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WantedCommercial and industrial sites
In Mold, industrial land that has drifted out of use can often be reimagined as homes, subject to the council's view on employment land. Possible for larger estates being phased out.
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WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
Sites around Mold with an old refusal can be worth a second look, especially where local or national policy has since changed. Suits larger sites needing a longer route.
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WantedAllocated and promoted land
Around Mold, allocated sites and land put forward to the council are usually the furthest along, so they can often move faster than land at an earlier stage. Suits land at earlier plan stages.
Learn moreTowns we cover in Clwyd
Option agreement: questions
How is the price worked out?
Commonly as market value with planning, less an agreed discount and allowable costs, often with a minimum price. Take independent advice on the mechanism.
Do you really pay my legal costs?
On option agreements we pay the landowner's reasonable legal costs, up to a cap that we agree in the heads of terms.
What if you never exercise the option?
At the end of the option period the land is released, you normally keep the premium, and we remove our notice from your title.
Do you use option agreements for land in Clwyd?
Yes. We use option agreements across Clwyd and the rest of Wales, where the structure suits the site and the owner.