North Kesteven is a district of some 100,000ha and upwards of 110,000 inhabitants located immediately south of the city of Lincoln and east of the A1. North Kesteven residents live in around 100 mainly small communities. Major concentrations are in Sleaford, with a population of nearly 19,500; North Hykeham, with around 16,400 residents; and 11 larger villages, providing a range of services, with populations of over 5,000. Within the District, nearly a third of the population live in the “Lincoln Fringe”, the area immediately surrounding Lincoln City.

The landscape is dominated by food and farming, chiefly arable crops and poultry although modern scale operations are increasingly diversified. Food processing is the largest employer. There are also two significant operational Royal Airforce bases RAF Waddington and RAF College Cranwell and the area’s association with the air force dates back to the First World War. Defence industries are an increasingly important growth sector for the local economy.

North Kesteven has a recent history of fast growth, with a rate of population growth only bettered by the City of London. It is consistently judged the UK’s safest place to live with the lowest recorded crime statistics, while also boasting the best skilled workforce in Lincolnshire and unemployment figures below 4%.

North Kesteven District Council is investing £200M in ambitious economic growth and regeneration plans.

Getting the right people with the right skills is vital if you want to grow your business. North Kesteven has the most highly skilled workforce in the county, with some of the best performing secondary schools and established strengths in farming, manufacturing, engineering and defence industries not to mention highly skilled RAF personnel at Waddington and Cranwell.

But it’s a competitive marketplace. Improving awareness of your business and the salience of key sectors is one way to get people interested in what the district has to offer. NKDC is working with employers in a variety of ways to improve the prominence of key sectors, promote awareness of local opportunities, engage young people and connect local schools with local business.

The University of Lincoln offers local employers a number of ways to access its support and innovation programmes and is engaged in providing opportunities for student placement, graduate employment and apprenticeships.

Useful links:

GLLEP Skills Strategy

North Kesteven District Council is committed to supporting business growth and jobs in the district. We have ambitious plans for regeneration in Sleaford and to drive investment in the wider district in infrastructure and transport links. We will take a proactive approach to the opportunities and challenges that Brexit poses to our economy and work closely with businesses to facilitate investment.

Useful Links:

Central Lincolnshire Local Plan

The NK Plan 2018-2021

Sleaford Strategic Delivery Plan 2018 – 2025

Sleaford Masterplan 2011

The LN6 Plan 2013

Sleaford Vision 2015

Sleaford Transport Strategy 2014

Accessing NK’s unique countryside and aviation heritage couldn’t be easier with the help of over 135 miles of way-marked Stepping Out walks, all of which can be downloaded here. The 26 mile Spires and Steeples Arts and Heritage Trail, which links Lincoln Cathedral to St Denys’ Church in Sleaford, is a popular way of discovering the district.  Running along the opposite side of the district is the Ridges and Furrows 30 mile Arts and heritage trail, this starts in Sleaford and cuts across beautiful countryside finishing at the Millennium Green in North Hykeham.

There are several green spaces in the district which can be explored, these include the Millennium Green in North Hykeham and Lollycocks in Sleaford.  All details of our beautiful green spaces can be found at the Hill Holt Wood website.

NK is also home to two unique environmental attractions. The Natural World Centre in Whisby Nature Park is a popular visitor centre set within 360 acres of Local Nature Reserve, managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Hill Holt Wood in Norton Disney is a social enterprise whose aim is to prove the value of ancient woodland in the 21st Century. Hill Holt Wood is a landmark sustainability project delivering value to the community through education and leisure.

The district enjoys high quality leisure facilities, including Sleaford Leisure Centre, and the North Kesteven Centre in North Hykeham. At Sleaford Leisure Centre you’ll find a fantastic range of activities and facilities for all of your health and fitness needs. Sleaford Leisure centre has a superb gym, swimming pool, an extensive fitness class programme and relaxing sauna and steam room. One NK has a range of facilities including state of the art gym, two fantastic swimming pools, studios with an extensive fitness class programme, sports hall, outdoor pitches and much more. At Better Gym Sleaford you’ll find a fantastic range of activities and facilities for all of your health and fitness needs. Enjoy their 2 great gyms, 10m swimming pool, 2 studios with a great range of fitness classes, squash courts, outdoor pitches and much more. All come with affordable membership offers and no contract, all details can be found online by following the links above.

North Kesteven is an unspoilt, rural district south of the historic city of Lincoln, a quiet haven in the heart of Lincolnshire attracting 2.2 million visitors a year. Key attractions include the Hub (National Centre for Craft and Design), Whisby Natural World Centre, Cogglesford Watermill, Heckington Windmill and a variety of important aviation heritage attractions including Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum, Navigation House and a popular airfield trail.

North Kesteven hosts several active RAF bases and the annual Waddington International Airshow, attracts over 120,000 visitors. RAF Cranwell is the RAF training college where all officers and aircrew are selected and trained. The college also has responsibility for all RAF recruiting and initial training and is a famous landmark in RAF history. RAF Digby is an important signals site for all three armed services. Home to the Joint Service Signals Organisation, the station is alternately commanded by a British Army Colonel or RAF Group Captain. Throughout the district, aviation memorials, museums and visitor centres commemorate the key role Lincolnshire played in the development of aviation during the Great War 1914-18 and of course later, in World War II, with the vital role played by Bomber Command.

The Hub

In 2018, The National Centre for Craft & Design (NCCD) and countywide arts development agency artsNK merged to create one organisation that delivers great art experiences for more people, in Sleaford and across North Kesteven. With a continued focus and commitment to craft and design, over the last few years the Centre has developed a broader cultural programme of exhibitions, retail, learning & education, special events, performances, festivals and community art projects. All serving the needs of local residents, communities and visiting audiences.

In May 2020, North Kesteven District Council started a major £1.2m capital refurbishment of the Centre to grow and sustain the District’s arts and cultural offer. The year-long project created new multi-use dance & conferencing studio space, a craft workshop, indoor & outdoor Cafe Bar, and new ground floor gallery space, alongside the Centre’s celebrated main gallery and shop. In spring 2021, the Centre re-opened as the Hub — a new purpose-built cultural venue that presents new opportunities to inspire local residents and audiences for years to come.  The centre is also home to the Hub Dance team; Working with audiences at the Hub in schools; and community and care settings across the District and County, the Hub dance programme provides creative opportunities for participation and performance on a regular basis, ensuring a varied high-quality mix of contemporary offerings that are inclusive, accessible, affordable and always forward thinking.

The Terry O’Toole Theatre is an intimate, 200 seat Arts Theatre situated in North Hykeham. Described as a ‘Hidden gem’ by BBC Radio Lincolnshire, they present a vibrant, high quality programme of professional drama, music, dance and children’s theatre, complemented by a vibrant range of community and hire performances. As well as performances, they deliver a lively participation programme, including LOV Young People’s Project sessions, Folk and Community Music workshops and ACTion Community Theatre.

Sleaford Playhouse was restored to a working Theatre in 2000 and has had a varied history. Originally built as a theatre, it was subsequently adapted for a variety of other uses to meet the demands of the time, and is now once more being used for its original purpose. Sleaford Little Theatre bought the Playhouse in 1994 with intent to restore the building to its original use. A nucleus of enthusiastic members worked hard on the project to provide the town once more with its very own theatre venue. The newly restored Playhouse opened its doors to the public in October 2000, thus once more becoming a working Georgian Theatre, one of only six remaining in the country and out of those six two are with a small, rectangular auditorium. The Playhouse is proving to be a favourite venue for a wide variety of other entertainment too, from local bands and solo artists to professional touring theatre companies and musicians.

Sleaford town centre is busy. In an era when our High Streets are under pressure from on-line shopping, out of town centres and high property values, Sleaford is fortunate in having the highest proportion (79%) of independent retailers in the East Midlands (average 45%) and more than double the national rate (38%) while vacancy rates in the town have come down to around the national average at 10.1%.

But as many of the major brands continue to retrench and shopping habits change, our High Streets and town centres must adapt to meet the challenge of providing residents with an attractive mix of experiences, including leisure, retail and residential uses and a thriving night time economy. Community spaces with broad appeal to families and friends, accessible to all and destinations that encourage residents and visitors to spend time relaxing all have a part to play in supporting a thriving and distinctive retail offer.

A document setting out the challenges and a new vision Sleaford for town centre can be found here Sleaford Vision 2015