Option agreements for land in Crowborough
For owners in Crowborough and the TN6 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.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- We fund the planning work
Tell us about your land
Free, no-obligation appraisal.
Crowborough at a glance
Crowborough (TN6) sits in OS grid square TQ53, about 21 miles north-east of Brighton. Sites between here and Royal Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Crowborough |
|---|---|
| County | East Sussex |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | TN6 |
| OS grid square | TQ53 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Royal Tunbridge Wells (7 mi), East Grinstead (9 mi), Tonbridge (10 mi) |
| Distance from Brighton | About 21 miles north-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 |
Who an option agreement works best for
- 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
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
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
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.
Term
How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.
Land near Crowborough that an option agreement suits
Land with planning permission in Crowborough
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Land for affordable homes in Crowborough
Useful while housing need is evidenced and a scheme is prepared.
Farmland and agricultural land in Crowborough
Common for edge-of-town farmland promoted through the local plan.
Barns and rural buildings in Crowborough
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
How a sale works
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
We do the homework
We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.
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.
Rules that apply in England
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.
When the land isn't straightforward
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
- 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
Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?
Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.
How is the price set?
Usually as a percentage of the land's market value once permission is granted, minus agreed costs, with a minimum price. The percentage and deductions are negotiated.
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 cover the villages around Crowborough?
Yes. Villages between Crowborough, Royal Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Other land in Crowborough
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- 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 Crowborough
- Option agreements in East Sussex
Find out what we'd pay for your land near Crowborough
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.