North Kesteven is one of the fastest growing districts in England and Wales. High levels of economic activity coupled with a good quality of life the best skilled workforce in Lincolnshire and great connectivity to the rest of the UK and the Humber ports make North Kesteven a great place to do business.

We offer a development team approach to inward investment from enquiry to delivery with a full range of proactive support services.

If your business is considering a commercial development, an investment, relocation or expansion in North Kesteven why not take advantage of a unique package of assistance and expertise designed to make big decisions as simple as possible.

• Pre-planning advice to save your business time and money
• Local Market intelligence to help you scope opportunities
• Development Support – we proactively facilitate and co-ordinate effective communication between all the commercial and statutory parties needed for successful development projects
• Sites and premises service – uses local knowledge to help you find the right location for your business

A different approach to growth

North Kesteven understands how growth works and the Economic Development team knows what growing businesses need.

• We offer a development team approach to help businesses and investors find the right location.
• A ‘key accounts’ service which aims to provide our highest performing growth companies with a single point of contact to manage the relationship between the authority the businesses proactively, to ensure the needs of the business are prioritised and understood by all relevant departments.
• We have a ‘skills for growth strategy’ that connects businesses and growth sectors to sector skills councils, Lincoln University and the new University Technical College. We encourage direct links between local businesses and schools and colleges.

Land, sites and premises

North Kesteven has over 100 ha of allocated, serviced employment land for development and we work proactively with local landowners and agents to ensure an adequate supply of well connected strategic sites. We have a focussed spatial strategy supporting business hubs and corridors in three strategic locations;

• Lincoln; Teal Park and LN6,
• Network 46
• Sleaford Enterprise Park & Urban Extensions.

Focussed support for SMEs and Micros

The economic development team includes qualified business advisors available to offer advice and support to SMEs and entrepreneurs with growth plans. NKDC operates more than 70 workspaces over 7 sites in the district aimed at providing the right kind of spaces to support growth of SMEs and micro businesses.

Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant

The Economic Development team worked closely with inward investor Eco 2 to find a suitable site close to the town. In a seven year journey from that first contact through the planning process to construction, the Sleaford Renewable Energy plant is a flagship project that showcases what can be achieved with a development team approach and which has resulted in the creation of jobs and apprenticeships while playing a key role in formalising the market for biomass products in the local area and promoting the links between agriculture and power generation.

Sleaford REP is a type of biomass plant. It generates steam through burning straw to create power for the electricity grid. It is therefore a source of renewable energy as its name implies. Its development was the culmination of seven years’ work from by developers, Eco 2 Ltd.

The plant, which came into operation in September 2014, generates 38 Megawatts of electricity — that’s enough to power 65,000 homes (North Kesteven only has 50,000 in total) using sustainable fuel sources and saving 150,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum. The plant is a huge investment in the local economy. It cost around £165 million to build and employs 80 people, 30 at the plant and 50 in transport. Once again, Sleaford was chosen because of its proximity to agricultural produce, this time straw, a by-product of wheat production, to be used as fuel. Straw is sourced from farms within a 30-50-mile radius of Sleaford. Ash produced by the plant is recycled as fertilizer. Surplus heat is provided free of charge by Eco2 to heat Sleaford’s public swimming pool, Bowling Centre, Sleaford Town Football Club, William Alvey Primary School and NKDC’s offices in the town.