Option agreements for land in Greater Manchester

For landowners in Greater Manchester, an option agreement is one of four ways to sell to us. Here's how it works there.

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.

Free appraisal and written offer
Figures explained, so you can check them
We fund the planning work

Get an offer for land in Greater Manchester

Send the postcode and a rough size.

Option agreements in Greater Manchester at a glance

A dense urban core where most new homes are on brownfield land, with green belt on the edges climbing towards the Pennines.

County	Greater Manchester
Country	England
Towns we cover here	41
Main town	Manchester
Example postcode districts	BL1, BL4, BL5, BL9, M1
Planning system	National Planning Policy Framework and local plan
When you're paid	Option fee now, price when the option is exercised
Timescale	Often several years

Two people in outdoor jackets walking along a hedgerow, one pointing across the field

When an option agreement suits land in Greater Manchester

Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
Holdings where several owners need to work together
Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
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

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.

Deductions

Which planning and infrastructure costs come off the price before you're paid.

Land an option agreement works for in Greater Manchester

Land without planning permission in Greater Manchester

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

Large strategic sites in Greater Manchester

The usual route: an option fee now and a price based on market value later.

Infill plots and gap sites in Greater Manchester

Seldom needed for single infill plots.

Redundant commercial and industrial land in Greater Manchester

Useful where vacant possession is some way off.

Inherited and probate land in Greater Manchester

Can suit families who want to hold on while planning is explored.

Landlocked land and access problems in Greater Manchester

Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.

What happens next

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.
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.

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

A rough size, in acres or hectares
Your title number, if you know it
Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
Photos of the land and its access

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.

Do you buy land in Greater Manchester?

Yes. We consider land across Greater Manchester, from Manchester to the smaller towns and villages. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, and we'll tell you either way.

Find out what we'd pay for your land in Greater Manchester

Send the postcode and a rough size and we'll come back with a straight answer.

Get an offer Call 0800 088 6248