Option agreements for land in Poole
If you own land near Poole, 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 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.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- We fund the planning work
Selling land near Poole?
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Land around Poole
Our appraisals for Poole start with the BH15 postcode district and the OS grid square SZ09, then widen out to Canford Heath, Bournemouth and Wimborne Minster, all within about 5 miles.
| Town | Poole |
|---|---|
| County | Dorset |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | BH15 |
| OS grid square | SZ09 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Canford Heath (3 mi), Bournemouth (5 mi), Wimborne Minster (5 mi) |
| Distance from Bournemouth | About 5 miles west |
| 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
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
- Sites with technical issues that need time to resolve
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
How the money works
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 Poole that an option agreement suits
Green belt and grey belt land in Poole
Common for green belt land promoted through a local plan review.
Paddocks and equestrian land in Poole
Useful where the paddock could form part of a wider site.
Garden land and backland in Poole
Useful when several neighbours' gardens are being assembled.
Redundant commercial and industrial land in Poole
Useful where vacant possession is some way off.
What happens next
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.
The legal work
Your solicitor and ours handle the contract through to completion.
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.
Awkward details we deal with
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
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
What people ask us about an option agreement
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 cover the villages around Poole?
Yes. Villages between Poole, Canford Heath and Bournemouth often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
More land we buy in Poole
- 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 Poole
- Option agreements in Dorset
Get a straight answer about your land
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.