Kirton-in-Lindsey is a small town in the North Lincolnshire countryside, between Gainsborough and Scunthorpe. The Strategic Land Group agreed to work with the owners of a 10.4-acre field on the western edge of the settlement to promote it for residential development.
At the outset, the site lay outside the defined settlement boundary. However, North Lincolnshire Council was preparing a new local plan to meet housing needs through to 2036, replacing its 2011 plan which pre-dated the National Planning Policy Framework.
Our initial strategy was to promote the site for allocation through that emerging plan. However, in common with all our projects, we kept the planning position under constant review to identify any opportunity to bring the site forward sooner.
Although the council reported a housing land supply of over six years, we considered this position vulnerable. In particular, it relied heavily on a single large allocation - Lincolnshire Lakes - dependent on delivery of a new motorway junction.
In 2019, the council published an updated position claiming a supply just above five years - by a margin of only five dwellings. Given that five years is the minimum required by national policy, this was a finely balanced position.
Our own assessment concluded that the true supply was closer to four years. On that basis, we submitted an outline planning application.
Access was a key issue, with the site served by narrow, winding streets reflecting the town’s historic Anglo-Saxon layout. We worked closely with our highways consultant to produce an access design that was safe and able to cope with the level of traffic generated. Despite considerable local opposition, officers supported the scheme and recommended approval. However, members unanimously refused the application in August 2020.
The reasons for refusal were weak, and we appealed.
The appeal was allowed in March 2021. In addition to granting permission, the Inspector issued a full award of costs against the council for unreasonable behaviour - a very unusual outcome. The Inspector also agreed that a requested £200,000 contribution towards primary education was not justified.
Contracts were exchanged with regional SME developer Newett Homes in early 2023. Their subsequent reserved matters application was also refused against officer advice, but again allowed on appeal in September 2025.
The sale finally completed in March 2026.
This case demonstrates the risks for authorities of relying on marginal housing land supply positions - and the importance of robustly interrogating the evidence. It also highlights the value of persistence in navigating the planning process, particularly where decisions depart from professional advice.
Kirton-in-Lindsey is a small town in the North Lincolnshire countryside, between Gainsborough and Scunthorpe. The Strategic Land Group agreed to work with the owners of a 10.4-acre field on the western edge of the settlement to promote it for residential development.
At the outset, the site lay outside the defined settlement boundary. However, North Lincolnshire Council was preparing a new local plan to meet housing needs through to 2036, replacing its 2011 plan which pre-dated the National Planning Policy Framework.
Our initial strategy was to promote the site for allocation through that emerging plan. However, in common with all our projects, we kept the planning position under constant review to identify any opportunity to bring the site forward sooner.
Although the council reported a housing land supply of over six years, we considered this position vulnerable. In particular, it relied heavily on a single large allocation - Lincolnshire Lakes - dependent on delivery of a new motorway junction.
In 2019, the council published an updated position claiming a supply just above five years - by a margin of only five dwellings. Given that five years is the minimum required by national policy, this was a finely balanced position.
Our own assessment concluded that the true supply was closer to four years. On that basis, we submitted an outline planning application.
Access was a key issue, with the site served by narrow, winding streets reflecting the town’s historic Anglo-Saxon layout. We worked closely with our highways consultant to produce an access design that was safe and able to cope with the level of traffic generated. Despite considerable local opposition, officers supported the scheme and recommended approval. However, members unanimously refused the application in August 2020.
The reasons for refusal were weak, and we appealed.
The appeal was allowed in March 2021. In addition to granting permission, the Inspector issued a full award of costs against the council for unreasonable behaviour - a very unusual outcome. The Inspector also agreed that a requested £200,000 contribution towards primary education was not justified.
Contracts were exchanged with regional SME developer Newett Homes in early 2023. Their subsequent reserved matters application was also refused against officer advice, but again allowed on appeal in September 2025.
The sale finally completed in March 2026.
This case demonstrates the risks for authorities of relying on marginal housing land supply positions - and the importance of robustly interrogating the evidence. It also highlights the value of persistence in navigating the planning process, particularly where decisions depart from professional advice.
Kirton-in-Lindsey is a small town in the North Lincolnshire countryside, between Gainsborough and Scunthorpe. The Strategic Land Group agreed to work with the owners of a 10.4-acre field on the western edge of the settlement to promote it for residential development.
At the outset, the site lay outside the defined settlement boundary. However, North Lincolnshire Council was preparing a new local plan to meet housing needs through to 2036, replacing its 2011 plan which pre-dated the National Planning Policy Framework.
Our initial strategy was to promote the site for allocation through that emerging plan. However, in common with all our projects, we kept the planning position under constant review to identify any opportunity to bring the site forward sooner.
Although the council reported a housing land supply of over six years, we considered this position vulnerable. In particular, it relied heavily on a single large allocation - Lincolnshire Lakes - dependent on delivery of a new motorway junction.
In 2019, the council published an updated position claiming a supply just above five years - by a margin of only five dwellings. Given that five years is the minimum required by national policy, this was a finely balanced position.
Our own assessment concluded that the true supply was closer to four years. On that basis, we submitted an outline planning application.
Access was a key issue, with the site served by narrow, winding streets reflecting the town’s historic Anglo-Saxon layout. We worked closely with our highways consultant to produce an access design that was safe and able to cope with the level of traffic generated. Despite considerable local opposition, officers supported the scheme and recommended approval. However, members unanimously refused the application in August 2020.
The reasons for refusal were weak, and we appealed.
The appeal was allowed in March 2021. In addition to granting permission, the Inspector issued a full award of costs against the council for unreasonable behaviour - a very unusual outcome. The Inspector also agreed that a requested £200,000 contribution towards primary education was not justified.
Contracts were exchanged with regional SME developer Newett Homes in early 2023. Their subsequent reserved matters application was also refused against officer advice, but again allowed on appeal in September 2025.
The sale finally completed in March 2026.
This case demonstrates the risks for authorities of relying on marginal housing land supply positions - and the importance of robustly interrogating the evidence. It also highlights the value of persistence in navigating the planning process, particularly where decisions depart from professional advice.
