Option agreements for land in Caterham
If you own land in or around Caterham, option agreements is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.
If your land could be allocated in a future local plan, an option keeps it moving towards development without you funding the work.
- Free appraisal and written offer
- No commission: we're the buyer
- We fund the planning work
Selling land near Caterham?
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Where Caterham sits
From Caterham, it's 4 miles to Coulsdon and 4 miles to Purley. We buy land across that whole stretch of Surrey, not only within the town.
Most of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, and the Surrey Hills National Landscape covers much of the rest.
| Town | Caterham |
|---|---|
| County | Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | CR3 |
| OS grid square | TQ35 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Coulsdon (4 mi), Purley (4 mi), Redhill (5 mi) |
| Distance from Woking | 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
- Holdings where several owners need to work together
- Land needing access or infrastructure to be unlocked
- Owners who want to keep farming until development
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.
The terms that matter
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.
Term
How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.
Your obligations
Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.
Land near Caterham that an option agreement suits
Land without planning permission in Caterham
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Land for affordable homes in Caterham
Useful while housing need is evidenced and a scheme is prepared.
Brownfield land in Caterham
Can suit larger brownfield sites with a longer planning route.
Landlocked land and access problems in Caterham
Useful while access is negotiated with neighbours.
How a sale works
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're worried about the deductions
Ask for a clear list and a cap on what can be deducted. We'll explain each one.
You want to be sure we'll actually pursue planning
Agreements can include obligations to use reasonable endeavours and set milestones.
Useful to send us
- A plan, or a screenshot from an online map
- Your title number, if you know it
- Any planning applications or letters
- Photos of the land and its access
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 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 buy land in Caterham?
Yes. We consider land in and around Caterham and across Surrey. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, especially its access and planning prospects, and we'll tell you either way.
Other land in Caterham
- 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 Caterham
- Option agreements in Surrey
Get a straight answer about your land
Call 0800 088 6248 or send the details. There's no obligation.