Option agreements for land in Tyne and Wear
We offer an option agreement on land across Tyne and Wear, including sites around Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland and South Shields.
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
- Figures explained, so you can check them
- Independent advice encouraged
Get an offer for land in Tyne and Wear
Send the postcode and a rough size.
Option agreements in Tyne and Wear at a glance
Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead and the surrounding boroughs, with brownfield land in the urban core and green belt on the fringe.
| County | Tyne and Wear |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Towns we cover here | 15 |
| Main town | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Example postcode districts | DH4, NE1, NE3, NE8, NE10 |
| 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 |
When an option agreement suits land in Tyne and Wear
- 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
- 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.
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.
Exercise triggers
What has to happen before we can buy.
Your obligations
Agreements set what you can and can't do with the land in the meantime.
Land an option agreement works for in Tyne and Wear
Development land in Tyne and Wear
Suits larger fields where the planning route may take several years.
Land with planning permission in Tyne and Wear
Rarely needed once consent exists, but can suit phased sites.
Land without planning permission in Tyne and Wear
We pay for the right to buy later and fund the planning work meanwhile.
Barns and rural buildings in Tyne and Wear
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
Infill plots and gap sites in Tyne and Wear
Seldom needed for single infill plots.
Garage sites in Tyne and Wear
Rarely needed unless several garage owners are involved.
What happens next
Tell us about your land
Send the postcode or address and a rough size.
We check it properly
Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.
We put an offer in writing
It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.
Solicitors complete the sale
Exchange and complete, or exchange now and complete when planning is granted.
Planning and legal points for land in Tyne and Wear
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
- The address or postcode
- Your title number, if you know it
- Details of any tenants or grazing agreements
- How soon you'd ideally like to sell
What people ask us about an option agreement
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.
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 Tyne and Wear?
Yes. We consider land across Tyne and Wear, from Newcastle upon Tyne to the smaller towns and villages. Whether we can make an offer depends on the land itself, and we'll tell you either way.
Option agreements by town in Tyne and Wear
Find out what we'd pay for your land in Tyne and Wear
Send the postcode and a rough size and we'll come back with a straight answer.