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.
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.
| Town | Haywards Heath |
|---|---|
| County | West Sussex |
| Country | England |
| Postcode district | RH16 |
| OS grid square | TQ32 |
| Nearest towns we cover | Burgess Hill (3 mi), Crawley (9 mi), East Grinstead (10 mi) |
| Distance from Crawley | About 9 miles south-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 |

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.
Land near Haywards Heath that an option agreement suits
Large strategic sites in Haywards Heath
The usual route: an option fee now and a price based on market value later.
Barns and rural buildings in Haywards Heath
Less common for single buildings but can suit whole farmyards.
Garage sites in Haywards Heath
Rarely needed unless several garage owners are involved.
Landlocked land and access problems in Haywards Heath
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 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.
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.
Option agreements near Haywards Heath
Other land in Haywards Heath
- Development land
- Land with planning permission
- Land without planning permission
- Large strategic sites
- 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 Haywards Heath
- Option agreements in West Sussex
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.