Option agreement for land in Wiltshire
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 Wiltshire
We use option agreements for suitable land across Wiltshire. Wiltshire includes Swindon, Salisbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Melksham, Devizes, Calne, Warminster and Westbury, with many villages and much open downland. Green Belt from the Bristol and Bath area reaches the west of the county, and the North Wessex Downs, Cranborne Chase and Cotswolds National Landscapes and part of the New Forest National Park cover large areas. Typical sites include edge-of-town fields, farm buildings, village infill and former military or industrial land.
Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge bring military and World Heritage considerations, and nutrient neutrality advice has affected the River Avon catchment around Salisbury. The M4 corridor around Swindon and Chippenham and the rail lines through Westbury and Trowbridge focus much of the area's growth.
In England, the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August 2026 replaced the old "tilted balance" with new settlement policies: development within a settlement should normally be approved unless the harm substantially outweighs the benefits, while land outside a settlement can gain support in defined circumstances.
English councils keep brownfield land registers, and some previously developed sites can be granted permission in principle, a quicker way of establishing whether housing is acceptable before technical details are settled.
Parts of Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire fall within North Wessex Downs National Landscape, Cranborne Chase National Landscape, Cotswolds National Landscape and New Forest 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 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 Wiltshire that often suits an option agreement
WantedResidential development land
Sites on the edge of Trowbridge or the villages nearby can be worth a conversation, especially where they are well connected by road and bus or rail. Suits larger or longer-term land where planning may take several years.
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WantedLand without planning permission
For land on the edges of Trowbridge with no consent yet, the first questions are access, flood risk and how the council's current plan treats the area. Suits bigger sites or longer timescales; you are paid a premium and keep the land meanwhile.
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WantedBrownfield land
Brownfield land in Trowbridge tends to be well located for homes; the questions are usually about contamination, demolition and neighbours. Less common, but possible on larger regeneration land.
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WantedFarmland and paddocks
We are looking for farmland near Trowbridge 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.
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WantedGreen Belt and grey belt land
If you own Green Belt land in Wiltshire, 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.
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WantedStrategic land
Larger landholdings on the approaches to Trowbridge 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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WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
Sites around Trowbridge 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
If your land near Trowbridge appears in the council's plan or its site assessments, send us the reference; it changes the conversation. Suits land at earlier plan stages.
Learn moreTowns we cover in Wiltshire
Option agreement: questions
How long do options last?
It varies with the site and the planning route, from a few years for smaller sites to longer for strategic land. Extension terms are often included.
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 Wiltshire?
Yes. We use option agreements across Wiltshire and the rest of England, where the structure suits the site and the owner.