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Option agreements for land in Hitchin

Choosing how to sell matters as much as choosing who to sell to. For land near Hitchin, an option agreement trades certainty and timing in a particular way.

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
  • Independent advice encouraged
  • We fund the planning work

Tell us about your land

Free, no-obligation appraisal.

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

Hitchin at a glance

From Hitchin, it's 3 miles to Letchworth Garden City and 5 miles to Stevenage. We buy land across that whole stretch of Hertfordshire, not only within the town.

Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, which makes land with genuine development prospects scarce and keenly contested.

TownHitchin
CountyHertfordshire
CountryEngland
Postcode districtSG4
OS grid squareTL12
Nearest towns we coverLetchworth Garden City (3 mi), Stevenage (5 mi), Henlow (6 mi)
Distance from WatfordAbout 21 miles north
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

When an option agreement suits land near Hitchin

  • Owners happy to wait several years for a higher price
  • Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
  • 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.

Exercise triggers

What has to happen before we can buy.

Land near Hitchin that an option agreement suits

Development land in Hitchin

Suits larger fields where the planning route may take several years.

Barns and rural buildings in Hitchin

Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.

Small sites in Hitchin

Useful if land needs assembling from more than one owner.

Brownfield land in Hitchin

Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.

How a sale works

  1. Tell us about your land

    Send the postcode or address and a rough size.

  2. We do the homework

    We read the title and planning record and check flood risk and access.

  3. You get a written offer

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

  4. Solicitors complete the sale

    Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.

What England's rules mean for your land

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

  • A rough size, in acres or hectares
  • A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
  • Your title number, if you know it
  • Details of any tenants or grazing agreements

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.

Can I sell to someone else during the option?

Not usually. The option binds the land, and it's normally registered against your title.

Do you buy land in Hitchin?

Yes. We consider land in and around Hitchin and across Hertfordshire. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.

Also near Hitchin

Other land types and routes

Ready to talk about your land in Hitchin?

Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.

Get an offerCall 0800 088 6248