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Option agreements for land in Haywards Heath

If you own land in or around Haywards Heath, option agreements is one of four ways you can sell it to us. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.

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.

  • No commission: we're the buyer
  • Independent advice encouraged
  • We fund the planning work

Tell us about your land

We'll check the title and planning, then call you.

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Please enter a postcode, or at least the first half.
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Free and no obligation. We're the buyer, so there's no commission.

Haywards Heath at a glance

Haywards Heath (RH16) sits in OS grid square TQ32, roughly 9 miles south-east of Crawley. Sites between here and Burgess Hill or East Grinstead are just as much of interest to us.

The South Downs National Park, Chichester Harbour and High Weald National Landscapes, and water neutrality rules that have affected new homes in the north of the county.

TownHaywards Heath
CountyWest Sussex
CountryEngland
Postcode districtRH16
OS grid squareTQ32
Nearest towns we coverBurgess Hill (3 mi), Crawley (9 mi), East Grinstead (10 mi)
Distance from CrawleyAbout 9 miles south-east
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

Who an option agreement works best for

  • Larger fields and blocks on the edge of towns and villages
  • Land being considered in a local plan review
  • Holdings where several owners need to work together
  • 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

Minimum price

A floor that protects you if values fall.

Term

How long we have to secure permission and exercise the option.

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.

How a sale works

  1. Send us the address

    A postcode, a plan or a what3words location is enough to start.

  2. We check it properly

    Title, planning history, access, flood maps and local policy.

  3. We put an offer in writing

    It shows how we got there. There's no obligation to accept.

  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.

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
  • A rough size, in acres or hectares
  • Your title number, if you know it
  • Photos of the land and its access

Your questions answered

Do I keep the option fee if you don't buy?

Normally, yes. The terms are set out in the 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.

Do you buy land in Haywards Heath?

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

Find out what we'd pay for your land near Haywards Heath

Send the postcode and a rough size. We'll check the title and planning position and come back to you.