Lincolnshire
Planning & Building Contacts

LCC holds the Lincolnshire Historic Environment Record (HER) - essential desk-based assessment resource for all sites with archaeological potential. LCC is the SUDs approval body for major development across all 7 districts. The Fens drainage network involves extensive coordination with Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) - LCC chairs the Lincolnshire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. LCC Highways must be consulted on all development generating significant traffic on the county road network.

Boston is England's most intensive agricultural processing area and is almost entirely within Internal Drainage Board areas - IDB consent is required for any development affecting ordinary watercourses. The borough is significantly below sea level in parts and Flood Zone 3 covers large areas including the town centre. St Botolph's Church (Grade I, the "Boston Stump") dominates the skyline and its setting is protected across the flat fenland. The Pilgrim Fathers connections give Boston international heritage significance.

East Lindsey is England's largest district by area and faces some of its most acute coastal change pressures. The Lincolnshire coast between Skegness and Mablethorpe is a Coastal Change Management Area (CCMA) with active erosion and managed retreat policies. The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape covers the western hills. RAF Coningsby safeguarding affects the western parts of the district. Saltfleet-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR is a significant natural constraint on the northern coastal strip.

Lincoln is one of England's most heritage-rich cities. The Upper City Conservation Area around Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle is an exceptionally sensitive planning environment - the Cathedral (Grade I) was the tallest building in the world from c.1311 to 1549. The Newport Arch (Roman, Grade I Scheduled Monument) is the only Roman gateway still used by traffic in Britain. The Bail (Roman fortress precinct) underlies much of the upper city. Development in or near Conservation Areas requires early Historic England engagement. The River Witham creates flood constraints through the lower city.

North Kesteven is one of the most significantly RAF-affected planning districts in England. RAF Cranwell (01400 261201, Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training) and RAF Waddington (01522 726421, surveillance aircraft) each create extensive safeguarding zones covering large parts of the district. Tall structures, cranes, wind turbines, solar arrays and masts require RAF consultation. North Hykeham to the south of Lincoln is a significant housing growth area generating pressure on the southern approach to the city.

South Holland is one of England's lowest-lying districts - much of its land is below sea level and depends entirely on pumped drainage managed by IDBs. IDB consent (South Holland IDB, Welland and Deeping IDB) is required for any development affecting ordinary watercourses. The Wash coastline is designated SPA/Ramsar and is one of Europe's most important estuarine habitats. Peat soils are an important carbon store and constraint on deep foundations. Spalding is the heart of England's cut-flower industry.

Stamford is arguably England's finest stone market town - almost entirely built of Lincolnshire limestone with an extraordinary density of Grade I and II* listed buildings. The Stamford Conservation Area is one of England's most sensitive. Burghley House (Grade I, Lord Burghley's Elizabethan mansion) dominates the southern setting of Stamford. Belton House (National Trust, Grade I) lies north of Grantham. The A1 trunk road passes through Grantham; both the A1 and IGAS Alwalton gas storage site create consultation zones. Grantham was Margaret Thatcher's birthplace.

Gainsborough lies on the River Trent and the tidal bore (the "Aegir") creates significant flood risk. The River Trent flood plain is Flood Zone 3 across a wide corridor. RAF Scampton (former home of the Dambusters and Red Arrows, now closed) is being redeveloped as a major enterprise zone - this is one of the largest brownfield regeneration projects in the East Midlands and affects planning policy across the northern district. The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape rises to the east.

Contact the relevant district council directly for building control: Boston (01205 314200), East Lindsey (01507 601111), Lincoln City (01522 881188), North Kesteven (01529 414155), South Holland (01775 761161), South Kesteven (01476 406080), West Lindsey (01427 676676). Registered Building Control Approvers (private inspectors) operate across all parts of Lincolnshire on all project types.

Key Lincolnshire Grade I assets: Lincoln Cathedral (Norman and Early English, tallest building in world c.1311-1549), Lincoln Castle (Scheduled Monument, one of only two copies of Magna Carta on display), Tattershall Castle (English Heritage, 15th-century brick tower, one of earliest brick buildings in England), Hussey Tower Boston, Gainsborough Old Hall, Burghley House, Belton House (NT). Lincolnshire has over 1,800 Scheduled Monuments. The Roman Ermine Street and Viking-era settlement archaeology are widespread.

Lincoln Cathedral's towers are visible from an extraordinary distance across the flat Lincolnshire plain - the setting is protected over a very wide arc. The Cathedral Conservation Area, Bail (Roman upper city) and Minster Yard together form one of England's densest heritage zones. Development affecting views of the Cathedral from any direction is a highly material consideration for the City of Lincoln Council and Historic England.

Tattershall Castle (c.1430, Ralph Lord Cromwell) is one of England's most important examples of early brick construction and a rare intact 15th-century great tower. Its moated setting in flat fenland makes it highly visible. It lies very close to RAF Coningsby and development near this area involves both heritage setting consultation with Historic England and military safeguarding consultation with the RAF station.

Flood risk is the most significant planning constraint across much of Lincolnshire. The Fens are almost entirely Flood Zone 2 or 3. The River Trent (western border) is tidal as far as Gainsborough. The Wash coast has extensive Tidal Flood Zone 3 and is subject to Shoreline Management Plan policies. The Sequential Test and Exceptions Test apply to most development in the Fens and coastal areas. The EA Anglian region coordinates with IDBs on ordinary watercourse consents.

IDB consent is a legal requirement for any development that culverts, alters or encroaches on an ordinary watercourse in an IDB area. In the Lincolnshire Fens, virtually every field boundary ditch is a maintained ordinary watercourse. IDB consent must be obtained alongside (not instead of) planning permission. Contact the relevant IDB at the earliest possible stage: Black Sluice IDB (01205 365319), Witham Fourth District IDB (01526 398000), South Holland IDB (01406 701027), Welland and Deeping IDB (01775 762614). Failure to obtain IDB consent is a criminal offence.

The Wash is one of Europe's most important estuarine habitats - SPA, Ramsar and NNR - supporting internationally significant populations of waders and wildfowl. Habitats Regulation Assessment is required for development that could affect The Wash. The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape Authority works within Natural England. Donna Nook NNR on the north Lincolnshire coast is famous for its grey seal colony. Gibraltar Point NNR is at the southern tip of the Lincolnshire coast.

The Lincolnshire Wolds are the highest ground in the East Midlands, reaching 168m at Normanby-le-Wold. Alfred Lord Tennyson was born at Somersby within the Wolds. Development within or affecting the character of the National Landscape requires the statutory test of conserving and enhancing natural beauty (NPPF paragraph 182). The NL team within East Lindsey DC is a statutory consultee for relevant applications.

Lincolnshire is in a seriously water-stressed region. Anglian Water serves most of Lincolnshire; Severn Trent Water (0800 783 4444) covers parts of the western county around Gainsborough and the Trent Valley. Confirm the correct undertaker before submitting planning applications. Large new developments in the Fens require early engagement on sewerage capacity, as many rural STWs operate near capacity.

Lincolnshire is a significant offshore wind landing county - multiple cable routes come ashore along the Lincolnshire coast (Dudgeon, Race Bank, Sheringham Shoal, Triton Knoll, Hornsea). Developers of coastal or near-coastal sites should check for HVDC and HVAC cable routes before excavating. Grid connection capacity can be constrained in rural Lincolnshire for larger development sites and renewables - early engagement with NGED is recommended.

Lincolnshire has no motorways in the county proper (the M180 is in North Lincolnshire unitary). The A1 passes through the western edge via Grantham. The A46 Lincoln bypass and A15 are the principal north-south routes through the county. Development generating significant traffic on National Highways routes requires a Transport Assessment. RAF safeguarding contacts: RAF Coningsby (01526 347891), RAF Cranwell (01400 261201), RAF Waddington (01522 726421) - all active stations requiring consultation for tall structures and specified development.