Option agreements for land in Marlow
If you own land near Marlow, you may be wondering whether an option agreement would suit you. The answer depends on your land's planning prospects and how soon you want to be paid.
An option can capture more of your land's value where it needs a long planning journey, but the details matter. We explain every term before you commit.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Marlow?
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Marlow at a glance
The land we're most interested in near Marlow sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards Maidenhead (4 miles) and High Wycombe (4 miles).
The south is largely Metropolitan Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape, while the north around Milton Keynes and Aylesbury has absorbed major growth.
| Town | Marlow |
|---|---|
| County | Buckinghamshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | SL7 |
| OS grid square | SU88 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Maidenhead (4 mi), High Wycombe (4 mi), Slough (9 mi) |
| Distance from Milton Keynes | About 33 miles south |
| Planning system | National Planning Policy Framework and local plan |
| When you're paid | Option fee now, price when the option is exercised |
| Planning costs | Ours, sometimes recoverable from the price |
Is an option agreement right for your land?
- Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
- Land being considered in a local plan review
- Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
What to check in an option agreement
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Exercise triggers
What has to happen before we can buy.
Your obligations
Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.
Land near Marlow that an option agreement suits
Development land in Marlow
Suits larger fields where the planning route may take several years.
Land without planning permission in Marlow
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Green belt and grey belt land in Marlow
Common for green belt land promoted through a local plan review.
Barns and rural buildings in Marlow
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
What happens next
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
Planning and legal points for land in Buckinghamshire
Planning framework
Planning decisions in England follow the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in August 2026, and the local plan, prepared by the council or, in a national park, the park authority. Plans are reviewed periodically, which is when new housing sites are usually allocated.
Section 106 and CIL
Larger schemes often need a Section 106 agreement for affordable housing or contributions, and councils that have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy charge it per square metre of new floorspace.
Common problems, and how we handle them
You want to be sure we'll actually pursue planning
Agreements can include obligations to use reasonable endeavours and set milestones.
You'd like your advisers' costs covered
Many option agreements include a contribution to the landowner's legal and agent costs. We'll tell you if ours does.
Useful to send us
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Questions from landowners near Marlow
Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?
Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.
How long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
Can I sell to someone else during the option?
Not usually. The option binds the land, and it's normally registered against your title.
Do you buy land in Marlow?
Yes. We consider land in and around Marlow and across Buckinghamshire. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
Also near Marlow
Other land in Marlow
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- Green belt and grey belt land
- Land for affordable homes
- Farmland and agricultural land
- Paddocks and equestrian land
- Barns and rural buildings
- Building plots
- Garden land and backland
- Infill plots and gap sites
- Small sites
- Garage sites
- Brownfield land
- Redundant commercial and industrial land
- Inherited and probate land
- Landlocked land and access problems
- Outright purchase
- Subject-to-planning sale
- Joint ventures
- All land in Marlow
- Option agreements in Buckinghamshire
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Marlow
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.