Option agreements for land in Brentwood
We offer an option agreement on land across Essex, including sites around Brentwood, Billericay and Hornchurch.
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
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Brentwood?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Land around Brentwood
The land we're most interested in near Brentwood sits on the edge of the built-up area or in the villages towards Billericay (5 miles) and Hornchurch (6 miles).
| Town | Brentwood |
|---|---|
| County | Essex |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CM14 |
| OS grid square | TQ59 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Billericay (5 mi), Hornchurch (6 mi), Romford (6 mi) |
| Distance from Southend-on-Sea | About 18 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 |

When an option agreement suits land near Brentwood
- 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
- 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.
What to check in an option agreement
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
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 Brentwood that an option agreement suits
Land with planning permission in Brentwood
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Green belt and grey belt land in Brentwood
Common for green belt land promoted through a local plan review.
Building plots in Brentwood
Rarely needed for single plots.
Garage sites in Brentwood
Rarely needed unless several garage owners are involved.
How a sale works
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
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.
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.
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
- The address or postcode
- A rough size, in acres or hectares
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
Questions from landowners near Brentwood
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.
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 buy land in Brentwood?
Yes. We consider land in and around Brentwood and across Essex. 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 Brentwood
- 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 Brentwood
- Option agreements in Essex
Get a straight answer about your land
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.