Option agreements for land in Croydon
If you own land near Croydon, 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.
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.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Croydon?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where Croydon sits
Our appraisals for Croydon start with the CR0 postcode district and the OS grid square TQ36, then widen out to South Croydon, Wallington and Carshalton, all within about 3 miles.
Land is scarce and mostly brownfield. The outer boroughs contain Metropolitan Green Belt and metropolitan open land, both closely protected.
| Town | Croydon |
|---|---|
| County | Greater London |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CR0 |
| OS grid square | TQ36 |
| Nearest towns we cover | South Croydon (1 mi), Wallington (3 mi), Carshalton (3 mi) |
| Distance from central London | About 9 miles south |
| 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?
- 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
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
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
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.
Deductions
Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.
Your obligations
Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.
Land near Croydon that an option agreement suits
Land with planning permission in Croydon
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Green belt and grey belt land in Croydon
Common for green belt land promoted through a local plan review.
Brownfield land in Croydon
Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.
Landlocked land and access problems in Croydon
Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.
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.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in Greater London
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.
Common problems, and how we handle them
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
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Any planning applications or letters
Common questions
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.
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.
How do I get an offer for land in Croydon?
Use the form on this page or call 0800 088 6248. Tell us the postcode, the rough size and anything you know about planning, and we'll come back to you.
More land we buy in Croydon
- 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 Croydon
- Option agreements in Greater London
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.