Option agreements for land in Letchworth Garden City
For owners in Letchworth Garden City and the SG6 area, an option agreement is worth understanding before you talk to any buyer, including us.
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.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Letchworth Garden City?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Land around Letchworth Garden City
From Letchworth Garden City, it's 3 miles to Hitchin and 4 miles to Henlow. 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.
| Town | Letchworth Garden City |
|---|---|
| County | Hertfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | SG6 |
| OS grid square | TL23 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Hitchin (3 mi), Henlow (4 mi), Stevenage (5 mi) |
| Distance from Watford | About 24 miles north |
| 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 |
When an option agreement suits land near Letchworth Garden City
- Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
- Holdings where several owners need to work together
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
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.
How the money works
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.
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 Letchworth Garden City that an option agreement suits
Farmland and agricultural land in Letchworth Garden City
Common for edge-of-town farmland promoted through the local plan.
Garden land and backland in Letchworth Garden City
Useful when several neighbours' gardens are being assembled.
Brownfield land in Letchworth Garden City
Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.
Landlocked land and access problems in Letchworth Garden City
Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.
From first call to completion
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.
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
- Photos of the land and its access
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
Your questions answered
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.
Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?
Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the agreement.
How long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
Can you visit land near Letchworth Garden City?
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.
Other land types and routes
- 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 Letchworth Garden City
- Option agreements in Hertfordshire
Get a straight answer about your land
A free appraisal tells you what we'd pay and why.