If a supermarket chain agrees to buy land for a potential store 'subject to contract', and then spends time and money obtaining planning permission for the site, what can the supermarket chain claim if the seller then refuses to conclude the deal but, instead, sells the land at an enhanced value due to the planning permission, to a rival bidder?
A) A claim in promissory estoppel for the land.
B) A claim in specific performance to have the land transferred to it.
C) A restitutionary claim for a quantum meruit for work done.
D) A claim in proprietary estoppel for the land.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The supermarket chain may have a restitutionary claim for a quantum meruit for the work done in obtaining planning permission, as they incurred expenses that increased the land's value, but they cannot claim the land itself without a concluded contract.

If a Supermarket Chain Agrees to Buy Land for a Potential