Option agreements for land in Christchurch
For owners in Christchurch and the BH23 area, an option agreement is worth understanding before you talk to any buyer, including us.
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.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Christchurch
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Christchurch at a glance
Christchurch (BH23) sits in OS grid square SZ19, some 4 miles east of Bournemouth. Sites between here and Bournemouth or Ferndown are just as much of interest to us.
Chalk downland and coast, much of it inside the Dorset National Landscape, with the South East Dorset green belt around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
| Town | Christchurch |
|---|---|
| County | Dorset |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | BH23 |
| OS grid square | SZ19 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Bournemouth (4 mi), New Milton (5 mi), Ferndown (7 mi) |
| Distance from Bournemouth | About 4 miles east |
| 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 Christchurch
- Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
- Land being considered in a local plan review
- 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.
How the money works
Option fee
A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Land near Christchurch that an option agreement suits
Green belt and grey belt land in Christchurch
Common for green belt land promoted through a local plan review.
Barns and rural buildings in Christchurch
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
Small sites in Christchurch
Useful if land needs assembling from more than one owner.
Inherited and probate land in Christchurch
Can suit families who want to hold on while planning is explored.
How a sale works
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.
You get a written offer
With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
What England's rules mean for your land
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.
Awkward details we deal with
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
- The address or postcode
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- Photos of the land and its access
Common questions
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.
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 Christchurch?
Yes. We consider land in and around Christchurch 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.
Also near Christchurch
More land we buy in Christchurch
- 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 Christchurch
- Option agreements in Dorset
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Christchurch
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.