Option agreement for land in West Sussex
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 West Sussex
We use option agreements for suitable land across West Sussex. West Sussex includes Crawley, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Chichester and the coastal towns of Worthing, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Shoreham-by-Sea and Lancing. It has only a very small area of Green Belt on the Surrey border, but the South Downs National Park and the High Weald and Chichester Harbour National Landscapes cover large parts. Typical sites include edge-of-town fields, farm buildings, infill plots and urban brownfield land.
Water neutrality advice that held up many schemes around Crawley, Horsham and Chichester was withdrawn from 1 November 2025, though water efficiency remains important. Chichester Harbour and the coastal plain bring flood risk and mitigation considerations, while the Brighton Main Line and A23 corridor focus growth around Crawley and Burgess Hill.
Where an English council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land, or its Housing Delivery Test result falls below 75%, the August 2026 NPPF can give policy support to suitable housing outside settlement boundaries.
Since 6 August 2026, non-major development on sites of 0.2 hectares or less in England has generally been exempt from mandatory biodiversity net gain, unless priority habitat is affected. That makes many small sites simpler to bring forward.
Parts of West Sussex are Green Belt, though not every town has any nearby. We check early whether a site is inside it and, if so, whether a grey belt or previously developed land case could apply.
Parts of West Sussex fall within South Downs National Park, High Weald National Landscape and Chichester Harbour National Landscape. 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 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 West Sussex that often suits an option agreement
WantedLand without planning permission
Near Chichester, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan. Suits bigger sites or longer timescales; you are paid a premium and keep the land meanwhile.
Learn more
WantedBrownfield land
Brownfield land in Chichester tends to be well located for homes; the questions are usually about contamination, demolition and neighbours. Less common, but possible on larger regeneration land.
Learn more
WantedFarmland and paddocks
We are looking for farmland near Chichester with a realistic access, ideally land the owner has already put forward to the local plan. The usual route for larger farmland: you keep farming and we promote the land.
Learn more
WantedGreen Belt and grey belt land
If you own Green Belt land in West Sussex, its previous use and how enclosed it already is will shape whether a grey belt route exists. The common route: promoting Green Belt land can take time.
Learn more
WantedStrategic land
Around Chichester, strategic sites tend to be the big fields between the built edge and the main roads, where a whole new neighbourhood could be planned. The standard route: we fund promotion and you are paid on sale.
Learn more
WantedCommercial and industrial sites
Older business land around Chichester, especially units now surrounded by housing, is the kind of commercial site we would like to discuss. Possible for larger estates being phased out.
Learn more
WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
If a scheme near Chichester was refused or ran out of time, the officer's report usually shows what a better application would need. Suits larger sites needing a longer route.
Learn more
WantedAllocated and promoted land
We are interested in land around Chichester at any plan stage, from a first submission to an adopted allocation. Suits land at earlier plan stages.
Learn moreTowns we cover in West Sussex
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 West Sussex?
Yes. We use option agreements across West Sussex and the rest of England, where the structure suits the site and the owner.