Option agreements for land in Nelson
We offer an option agreement on land across Lancashire, including sites around Nelson, Colne and Burnley.
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- No pressure to decide
- Independent advice encouraged
Selling land near Nelson?
We'll check the title and planning, then call you.
Nelson at a glance
Nelson (BB9) sits in OS grid square SD83, some 21 miles east of Preston. Sites between here and Colne or Accrington are just as much of interest to us.
| Town | Nelson |
|---|---|
| County | Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | BB9 |
| OS grid square | SD83 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Colne (2 mi), Burnley (3 mi), Accrington (8 mi) |
| Distance from Preston | About 21 miles east |
| 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
- 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
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.
Exercise triggers
What has to happen before we can buy.
Land near Nelson that an option agreement suits
Paddocks and equestrian land in Nelson
Useful where the paddock could form part of a wider site.
Garage sites in Nelson
Rarely needed unless several garage owners are involved.
Inherited and probate land in Nelson
Can suit families who want to hold on while planning is explored.
Landlocked land and access problems in Nelson
Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.
What happens next
Send us the address
A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.
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.
When the land isn't straightforward
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
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
Common questions
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 long do options last?
It varies with the site. Several years is typical for land needing local plan allocation, often with extension rights.
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 cover the villages around Nelson?
Yes. Villages between Nelson, Colne and Burnley often have the kind of edge-of-settlement land we're looking for.
Nearby towns
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 Nelson
- Option agreements in Lancashire
Ready to talk about your land in Nelson?
Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.