Option agreements for land in Westminster
If you own land near Westminster, 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.
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
- No commission: we're the buyer
- Independent advice encouraged
- We fund the planning work
Tell us about your land
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Where Westminster sits
Westminster (W1A) sits in OS grid square TQ27, roughly 1 mile south-west of central London. Sites between here and Pimlico or Battersea are just as much of interest to us.
Land is scarce and mostly brownfield. The outer boroughs contain Metropolitan Green Belt and metropolitan open land, both closely protected.
| Town | Westminster |
|---|---|
| County | Greater London |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | W1A |
| OS grid square | TQ27 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Pimlico (1 mi), Chelsea (2 mi), Battersea (2 mi) |
| Distance from central London | About 1 mile south-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 |
Who an option agreement works best for
- Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
- Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
- 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.
How the money works
Purchase price
Often a percentage of market value with permission, less agreed costs.
Minimum price
A floor that protects you if values fall.
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 Westminster that an option agreement suits
Land with planning permission in Westminster
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Building plots in Westminster
Rarely needed for single plots.
Garden land and backland in Westminster
Useful when several neighbours' gardens are being assembled.
Infill plots and gap sites in Westminster
Seldom needed for single infill plots.
How a sale works
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 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'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 plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- 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.
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.
How long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
Do you buy land in Westminster?
Yes. We consider land in and around Westminster and across Greater London. 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 Westminster
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- 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 Westminster
- Option agreements in Greater London
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.