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Option agreements for land in Cheltenham

For owners in Cheltenham and the GL50 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
  • Figures explained, so you can check them
  • We fund the planning work

Tell us about your land

We'll check the title and planning, then call you.

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Free and no obligation. We're the buyer, so there's no commission.

Land around Cheltenham

From Cheltenham, it's 3 miles to Bishops Cleeve and 7 miles to Tewkesbury. We buy land across that whole stretch of Gloucestershire, not only within the town.

The Cotswolds National Landscape on the high ground, the Severn vale below, and green belt keeping Gloucester and Cheltenham apart.

TownCheltenham
CountyGloucestershire
CountryEngland
Postcode districtGL50
OS grid squareSO92
Nearest towns we coverBishops Cleeve (3 mi), Tewkesbury (7 mi), Gloucester (7 mi)
Distance from GloucesterAbout 7 miles east
Planning systemNational Planning Policy Framework and local plan
When you're paidOption fee now, price when the option is exercised
Planning costsOurs, sometimes recoverable from the price
Two people in outdoor jackets walking along a hedgerow, one pointing across the field

Is an option agreement right for your land?

  • Land being considered in a local plan review
  • Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
  • Holdings where several owners need to work together
  • Sites with technical issues that need time to resolve

Options are the usual way to bring larger sites forward. They let us invest in planning while you keep ownership and the use of your land.

What to check in an option agreement

Option fee

A payment on signing, which you usually keep even if the option isn't exercised.

Minimum price

A floor that protects you if values fall.

Term

How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.

Your obligations

Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.

Land near Cheltenham that an option agreement suits

Land without planning permission in Cheltenham

We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.

Farmland and agricultural land in Cheltenham

Common for edge-of-town farmland promoted through the local plan.

Brownfield land in Cheltenham

Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.

Landlocked land and access problems in Cheltenham

Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.

From first call to completion

  1. Tell us about your land

    Send the postcode or address and a rough size.

  2. We check it properly

    Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.

  3. You get a written offer

    With the main figures behind it, so your adviser can check it.

  4. 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 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 plan, or a screenshot from an online map
  • Your title number, if you know it
  • Photos of the land and its access

What people ask us about an option agreement

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.

Can you visit land near Cheltenham?

Yes. Once we've looked at the title and planning position, we arrange a site visit if the land looks suitable. Send the address or postcode to start.

Also near Cheltenham

Other land types and routes

Ready to talk about your land in Cheltenham?

A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.

Get an offerCall 0800 088 6248