Council-owned land to be sold off to developers

Members of East Lindsey District Council’s (ELDC) executive board approved the marketing and disposal of council-owned land, west of Humberstone Road, Tetney, near Louth.

Outline planning permission was granted for up to 34 homes to be built on the site in August 2024.

The land was originally part of a site which the authority had identified as having the potential for development and has been allocated for housing use under the ELDC Local Plan 2018.

But the district council said it no longer believes it is financially viable to hold onto the land and said that selling the land would allow developers to bid for the site who are potentially better placed to finance and deliver the project than the council itself.

The authority said putting the land on the market for housing developers to take on would help the council to meet its housing targets.

At a meeting on Wednesday, April 1, district council leader, Craig Leyland (Conservative – Woodhall Spa), said: “The use of the land has actually gone through the process of what we can do with it realistically and the best use is to put it on the open market.”

Coun Thomas Kemp (Conservative – Woodhall Spa) said: “I think it’s definitely a prudent move in the circumstances. The figures do make a lot of sense.”

Portfolio holder for planning, Tom Ashton (Conservative – Sibsey and Stickney), agreed: “This demonstrates the council making the very best of the assets in its control and its ownership for the good of the council and our long-term economic viability.”