• Business Support

    Our Offer

    Business Support

North KestevenThe place to investThe place to grow

North Kesteven District Council’s Economic Development Team offer a range of services to businesses, from business advice for start-ups to, pre-planning advice and sites and premises services. The team is committed to responding to your business needs working with you to help deliver on your growth plans. For information on Business Rates and to find and check your rates valuation, visit GOV.UK. To view current support available for businesses in North Kesteven, please select any of the tiles below.

Location and Planning

Location and Planning

Finding the right location and premises for your business is a key part of our offer to inward investors and established businesses. We will work with you or your appointed agents to scope the local opportunities for development and growth and offer advice to support your business prior to entering the formal pre-planning or planning processes.

We have extensive contacts in the development industry and also manage our own workspaces. NKDC’s acquisition of Sleaford Moor extension to Sleaford Enterprise Park offers the potential to offer a range of bespoke solutions in the longer term.

For major applications we offer a development team approach to help you scope your development needs prior to making a planning application

The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan has a chapter dealing with Our Economy, Growth in North Kesteven and the planning policies directly impacting businesses. The plan also deals with protections for existing employment sites and premises in the district and includes a strategic rationale behind the selection and hierarchy of sites in the district for commercial development.

To get in touch or for more information, see Harry’s contact details on the Our Team page.

 

Property Advice

Property Advice

Finding the right premises for your business is a key part of our offer to inward investors, established and start-up businesses. Whilst the council has a commercial portfolio of workshops, the Economic Development Team are able to undertake a search on your behalf whatever your requirements might be. With our Partner Relationship Programme, we work with local agents and developers to be one step ahead of knowing what’s coming to the market.

In order for us to undertake a search for you just let us know what type and size of unit you are looking for, where you’d ideally like to be located and any other specific requirements and email it over to us and we’ll do the rest!

To get in touch or for more information, see Laura’s contact details on the Our Team page.

Tender Opportunities

Tender Opportunities

When the government or any other public sector institution needs to purchase products or services, the public body typically publishes a contract notice, inviting outside organisations to bid for the contract. This is known as an open tender.

Landing public sector contracts brings many benefits for suppliers, including helping stabilise a business’ cash flow and increase revenue, as well as guarantee reliable contracts.

To access North Kesteven District Council’s tendering opportunities, you can read or save this document, which provides details on how suppliers can receive tendering information and get involved.

An introduction to Experiential Tourism

An introduction to Experiential Tourism

Discover what experiential tourism is and how your business could widen your offer to visitors, as Chris Brant, founder of Unmissable England, delves into this topic in more detail.

Explore the benefits experiential tourism could bring to your tourism business and the things to consider before creating bookable experiences for visitors. The online webinar below has been created so you can access it at a time that suits you.

Please contact our team for access.

 

Dedicated Business Support

Dedicated Business Support

Dedicated business support is available to North Kesteven businesses through Business Lincolnshire, with specialist advisors to address your specific needs and requirements.

Whether you’re a start-up, a high-growth enterprise, a manufacturer, or a tourism operator, Business Lincolnshire has a programme tailored to your needs. The wide-range of programmes are designed to facilitate growth, innovation and improve resilience.

To find out more and speak to an adviser, complete the Business Lincolnshire enquiry form.

The Business Growth Service

The Business Growth Service

Business Lincolnshire has partnered with UK Government’s Business Growth Service to help improve the experiences businesses receive when accessing support.

The Business Growth Service makes it easier to find and access the advice and support businesses need with the Growth Hubs continuing to play a key role in providing local support in England, complementing existing business support from the UK Government and wider partners. Businesses can access relevant support to help them start, grow and succeed including:

  • Free, expert advice tailored to your business needs
  • Local support delivered by our experienced team
  • More connections to wider UK Government resources and opportunities

As your local Growth Hub, they’ll continue to provide personalised support while helping you navigate the full range of help available from partners, including the UK Government through the Business Growth Service.

You can check out the website at Business.gov.uk – find the right support for your business which gives you easy access to trusted information, expertise and services.

Agriculture and Horticulture Support

Agriculture and Horticulture Support

With rising costs, changing regulations and the pressures of climate and a changing landscape, access to the right support for agricultural businesses has never been more important. Explore resources, advice and funding opportunities for your farm business below.

 

Business Support

For advice or guidance, you can contact our Economic Development team at [email protected]. Business Lincolnshire have a specialist Agriculture and Horticulture Adviser; make an enquiry.

Alternatively, join The Lincolnshire Farm Support Programme for tailored business advice, workshops, and guidance to help farmers improve financial resilience, explore diversification and plan for long-term success.

 

Capital grants:

A new round of capital grants worth £150M is now open to farmers, land managers & rural businesses for practical environmental improvements across England. This includes planting hedgerows, managing boundaries, improving water & air quality, restoring habitats & introducing natural flood management measures.

The aim is to make accessing funding fairer so more farmers can access this money. Funding is limited to £25,000 for each of water quality, air quality & natural flood management & £35,000 per application for boundaries, trees & orchards. An application can be made at any time. Funding is available until the entire allocated fund has been committed.

Are you a new applicant? Visit Gov.uk for more information.

Already have a scheme in place? Visit Gov.uk for more information.

 

Lincolnshire Live Stream Event: Support for Farmers & Growers in Greater Lincolnshire

View the live stream event by Business Lincolnshire, outlining support on offer to Farmers & Growers in Greater Lincolnshire.

 

Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation (CEVAS)

Lincolnshire County Council & Greater Lincolnshire’s Careers Hub are funding 20 farmers to attend CEVAS training.
CEVAS provides the tools, knowledge & practical guidance needed to host safe & successful farm visits.

If interested in this training, please contact the UK Food Valley team for an informal chat if you’re interested in applying for one of the funded places.

 

Vet visit funding

Farmers in England can now get funding for vet visits for each of their herds or flocks of the same species.

This includes Animal Health and Welfare Reviews as well as follow-up visits for endemic diseases, offered through the Get Funding to Improve Animal Health and Welfare service.

This means that if your business manages several groups of cattle, pigs, or sheep, you can now get support across your business – not just for a single herd or flock.

See more guidance at Gov.uk.

 

Grants to support and remove barriers to rewilding projects across Britain.

The Rewilding Innovation Fund can support rewilding projects at a scale of more than 40 hectares, which could potentially unlock further funding or move a project in scale, whether at the early planning stage or scaling up a pre-existing project, and that adheres to Rewilding Britain’s rewilding principles.

Funding can be used to cover costs such as business plans and strategies or feasibility studies. Grants of up to £15,000 will be considered, however most grants are expected to be for less than £10,000.

The next deadline for applications is 29 August 2025.

Visit Rewilding Britain’s website for more details.

 

Skills Bootcamp

Skills Bootcamps are open to learners in Greater Lincolnshire. There’s over 60 different courses covering various topics, one being Agriculture and Food Manufacturing.

The training is free to individuals but if a business sends their employees they must make a percentage contribution based on business size.

Courses are delivered within 16-weeks, with a mix of face-to-face and online learning.

Visit Business Lincolnshire’s website for more details.

Sustainability support

Sustainability support

Free access to Zellar for SME’s in North Kesteven

Under our 2030 carbon net-zero ambition for both the Council and the wider District, NKDC is subsidising places on the Zellar programme so that 300 local small and medium-sized businesses can access this scheme free of charge and kickstart their sustainability journeys.

Zellar is an online sustainability tool, that helps businesses cut their carbon footprint and energy bills. Zellar guides you through the process of calculating and understanding your carbon emissions and then building an achievable plan to reduce them, based on the size and sector of your company. Businesses using the Zellar app and website can reduce emissions and save up to £4,100 in energy bills. One year’s fully subsidised access to Zellar is worth £299.

Join Zellar today.

To qualify for a free one-year Zellar licence a business must be a micro-SME (up to 10 employees) or SME (under 250 employees) with a base in North Kesteven. The offer is available to the first 300 qualifying enterprises. Use the calculator below to see how much your business could save.