There's a bright future for town

Latest figures show that only six per cent of the available town centre retail space is vacant, which is significantly better than the national rate of around 15 per cent.

While it is a slight decline of just one per cent in the proportion of empty trading space over two years, it does bode well for the ongoing vibrancy and attractiveness of the town.

With planning applications for new shop units to broaden the mix, investment poised to begin on the Riverside precinct and a range of other projects underway including restoration of historic shop fronts and proposals to expand opportunities for start-up businesses within the Corn Exchange, things continue to look up for visionary businesses which see Sleaford’s potential.

PartnershipNK has just launched a new initiative to help new businesses to branch out and grow.

Pop Up NK offers one of the few available spaces, for an initial period of two months, to support small and start-up businesses. The Pop Up Shop is in Navigation Yard where with a range of support measures entrepreneurs can get a good feel for the realities of trade and gain important customer feedback.

Sleaford has a strong, long-established and vibrant trading scene, but we do still need to do more to retain more spent by residents in the town.

Latest figures show that 80 pence in every pound spent on non food shopping is spent away from Sleaford. NKDC remains committed to progressing a range of regeneration initiatives. I foresee a bright future for Sleaford.