Option agreements for land in Bournemouth
For owners in Bournemouth and the BH1 area, an option agreement is worth understanding before you talk to any buyer, including us.
An option agreement gives a buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within a set period, usually once planning permission is obtained. The landowner receives an option fee up front and, if the option is exercised, a price normally based on market value with permission, less agreed deductions.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- No pressure to decide
- We fund the planning work
Selling land near Bournemouth?
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Bournemouth at a glance
Bournemouth (BH1) sits in OS grid square SZ09, where it is the main town we cover. Sites between here and Christchurch or Poole are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Bournemouth |
|---|---|
| County | Dorset |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | BH1 |
| OS grid square | SZ09 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Christchurch (4 mi), Canford Heath (4 mi), Poole (5 mi) |
| 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 |
When an option agreement suits land near Bournemouth
- Land being considered in a local plan review
- Holdings where several owners need to work together
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
- Sites with technical issues that need time to resolve
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.
The terms that matter
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Term
How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Exercise triggers
What has to happen before we can buy.
Land near Bournemouth that an option agreement suits
Land without planning permission in Bournemouth
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Farmland and agricultural land in Bournemouth
Common for edge-of-town farmland promoted through the local plan.
Small sites in Bournemouth
Useful if land needs assembling from more than one owner.
Garage sites in Bournemouth
Rarely needed unless several garage owners are involved.
From first call to completion
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in Dorset
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're worried about the deductions
Ask for a clear list and a cap on what can be deducted. We'll explain each one.
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
- The address or postcode
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Any planning applications or letters
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
What is an option agreement?
A contract that gives the buyer the right to buy your land within a set period, usually after planning permission is granted. You receive an option fee now and the purchase price if the option is exercised.
Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?
Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.
What's the difference between an option and a promotion agreement?
Under an option the buyer has the right to buy the land. Under a promotion agreement a promoter gets permission and then sells the land on the open market, taking a share of the proceeds. We offer options, not promotion agreements.
Do you buy land in Bournemouth?
Yes. We consider land in and around Bournemouth and across Dorset. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
More land we buy in Bournemouth
- 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 Bournemouth
- Option agreements in Dorset
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.