Lincolnshire council area
Selling Land in Lincoln
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Lincoln is a compact cathedral city on the River Witham that shares one local plan, adopted in April 2023, with North Kesteven and West Lindsey. Its one large extension, the Western Growth Corridor, already has permission and is under way, so most land for sale within the city is a yard, a small site or other previously developed land, and work on a new plan began in October 2026.
- We pay for the planning, at our own cost and risk
- Your price is agreed up front, in writing
- If planning is refused, you keep your land and owe nothing
In short
We buy land with development potential in Lincoln and welcome land of every kind there: fields and paddocks, inherited land, old yards and larger holdings.
Lincoln can show 7.1 years of housing land, more than the five years national policy expects, and the joint area it is measured with, the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan area (Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey), built 141% of the homes it needed in the government's latest count. So the surest routes here are the local plan, for land on the edge of towns and villages, and sites within them, where national policy generally supports new homes. Its local plan dates from April 2023.
We look for 2 acres or more next to, or well related to, a town or village, with a road frontage or a way to get one.
The next step is a free, confidential desktop review. We tell you which route, if any, suits your land, with no obligation.
The Land We Buy in Lincoln
- Yards, depots, workshops and small commercial sites in Boultham, Birchwood, Hartsholme, Carholme and the other suburbs.
- Lock-up garage blocks, backland and big rear gardens where two or three homes could fit.
- Older commercial buildings around the centre and the Brayford that could make way for homes.
- Plots within about a kilometre of Lincoln station, where the plan's evidence assumed higher density.
- Inherited property in the city with land behind it, and edge land on either side of the city boundary.
In a city this compact the work is careful rather than large: the flood map, heritage, access and the title, settled before the council sees a plan. We pay for all of it and for the application, under an option whose price is agreed at the start and set above what the site is worth in its present use. The site stays in your use until completion, and should the council refuse, it remains yours and you owe us nothing. Our how it works page walks through each step.
Is Your Land in Lincoln a Good Fit?
You do not need to know the planning rules to sell land for development in Lincoln. These are the things that make a site a strong candidate:
- It sits next to, or is well related to, an existing town or village.
- A safe access onto a public road is possible, even if it needs work.
- Most of the land is outside the highest flood risk zone.
- It is not covered by a strong designation such as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- It is about 2 acres or more, or part of a larger holding.
- Everyone who owns it is willing to consider one clear, agreed price.
If your land does not tick every box, ask anyway. Many of the sites we take on have a problem to solve, whether that is access, drainage, a tenancy or an awkward boundary, and solving those problems is our job.
Ways to Sell Your Land in Lincoln
There are three common ways to sell land with development potential in Lincoln. They suit different owners, and the right one depends on whether your land needs planning permission before it is worth more.
- An outright sale. You sell the land as it stands today, privately or at auction. The price is what a buyer will pay for it without planning permission, and the buyer takes on everything that follows.
- A conditional contract. You agree a sale now, but it only completes if planning permission is granted. Until then you keep the land, and the agreement sets out who applies for permission and who pays.
- An option agreement, the route we use. We agree your price at the start, in writing, set above what your land is worth today. We then pay for and run all of the planning work, at our own cost and risk. If permission is granted, we complete the purchase and you receive the agreed price on completion. If it is not, you keep your land and owe nothing.
For land that needs planning permission before it is worth more, an option means you know your price before any work starts and never spend a penny on planning. The ways to sell land for development, compared sets out each route in full.
Selling Land in Lincoln: From First Call to Completion
Selling land for development under an option agreement follows the same steps wherever your land is.
- A first conversation. You call us or send the form on this page. We need only your postcode, your name and a phone number or email.
- A free desktop review. Within a few days we look at your land, the planning position in Lincoln and the routes open to it, and tell you plainly whether it suits us. The review is free and confidential, with no obligation.
- Heads of terms and the option agreement. If it suits, we agree a price with you in writing, then the option agreement itself. We contribute to your solicitor's and land agent's fees, so it costs you nothing to get it done properly.
- The planning work, at our cost. We pay for the surveys, the design, the planning application and any appeal. You carry on farming, grazing or letting the land as you do now.
- Completion. If planning permission is granted, we complete the purchase and you receive the agreed price on completion. If it is not, you keep your land and owe nothing.
How selling land for development works, step by step gives the detail of each stage and how long it usually takes.
What the Local Plan Means If You Are Selling Land in Lincoln
Three things shape the chances of selling land for development in Lincoln: the government's latest count of homes built against those needed, the council's five-year housing land supply, and where its local plan stands.
Housing Delivery Test 2025
141%
Measured jointly for the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan area (Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey), so this is the whole area's result. Meeting its housing requirement.
Five-year housing land supply
7.1 years
Five years or more of deliverable housing land. Position at 31 March 2025, measured against the adopted Central Lincolnshire Local Plan requirement of 1,102 homes a year across the City of Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey, plus a 5% buffer. Stated by the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee, for the whole Central Lincolnshire Local Plan area.
Checked sourceHomes built against homes needed
4,544
of 3,219 needed, April 2022 to March 2025, across the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan area (Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey)
Most recent strategic plan adopted
April 2023
The plan currently used to decide applications.
New plan progress
Latest step
The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, adopted on 13 April 2023, covers the City of Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey. The joint planning team published its notice of intention to prepare a new plan on 12 October 2026 and opened scoping consultation on 22 October 2026, with a closing date of 17 December 2026. Its timetable of November 2026 puts Gateway 1 on 1 March 2027, consultation on proposed content from 30 September to 11 November 2027 and adoption in September 2029
Checked source
See how Lincoln compares with the other 187 councils we cover
Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.
The planning detail in full
A Cathedral City Drawn Tightly Around Its Built-Up Area
The City of Lincoln Council covers the historic city on the Witham, the old districts of Newport, Monks Road, the West End and Wigford, and Birchwood, Boultham, Hartsholme and Bracebridge further out. The 2021 census counted 103,813 people in the district. Its boundary sits close to the edge of the town, and parts of the wider built-up area, around North Hykeham, Canwick and Waddington, lie outside it.
- One plan for three councils. The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan covers the City of Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey, and sets a requirement of 1,102 homes a year, or 24,244 over the period 2018 to 2040, for all three together.
- Lincoln first. Policy S2 sends around 64% of new homes to the Lincoln Strategy Area, with urban regeneration first, then urban extensions, then the settlements that serve the city.
- A wider urban area than the city. Policy S1 defines the Lincoln Urban Area as the current built-up area of Lincoln, taking in North Hykeham, South Hykeham Fosseway, Waddington Low Fields and other developed land adjoining them, so the top tier of the plan runs across all three councils.
- Water through the middle. Brayford Pool, the Foss Dyke canal and the Sincil Dyke all lie within the city.
The plan calls Lincoln by far the largest settlement, with around 110,000 people in its built-up area and an outstanding historic core centred on the medieval Cathedral.
If you are thinking of selling land in Lincoln, the first question is which side of the city boundary it sits on, because the built-up area runs across that line into North Kesteven and West Lindsey, where a different council decides.
Where Lincoln's Growth Sites Sit, Council by Council
The plan relies on four large extensions around the city. The Western Growth Corridor is a city site, approved by the City Council. The North East Quadrant carries a city code but straddles the boundary, and its first homes were permitted and built in West Lindsey. The two southern quadrants are North Kesteven sites:
| Extension | Council | Homes planned | Where it stood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Growth Corridor (COL/BOU/001), now Charterholme | City of Lincoln | Up to 3,200 | Hybrid permission approved January 2022; the first 52 homes off Skellingthorpe Road were well under way in 2024/25 |
| North East Quadrant (COL/ABB/001), Greetwell | West Lindsey for the first 500 homes; later phases in the City of Lincoln | Around 1,400 | Phase 1 had one home left to build and 75 homes were completed in the West Lindsey part of Phase 2 in 2024/25; talks on the later phases in the city were continuing |
| South East Quadrant (NK/CAN/003), Canwick Heath and Bracebridge Heath | North Kesteven | 3,500 by 2040, with potential for 6,000 | Outline permission on two parcels; reserved matters for 281 and 450 homes being processed in July 2025 |
| South West Quadrant (NK/NHYK/001), Grange Farm, Hykeham | North Kesteven | Around 2,000 | Tied to the North Hykeham Relief Road, which will give access and form its southern edge |
The inspectors' report found that the approved scheme does not cover all of the allocated Western Growth Corridor, and required further proposals there to deal with flood risk, heritage and access.
Policy S77 adds 19 sites for around 1,500 homes in the Lincoln Urban Area, which includes North Hykeham, so not all of them are City Council sites. One city allocation (COL/CAR/005) was deleted at examination as it was coming forward for other uses.
For an owner inside the city, the lesson is that the Western Growth Corridor already has permission and the city part of the North East Quadrant was still under discussion in 2024/25, so a sale of land for development in Lincoln itself usually means a site the plan did not name, judged on its own merits.
Selling a Yard, Garage Court or Small Site Inside the City
Inside the city, the sites we look at are mostly previously developed: a former workshop, a builder's yard, lock-up garages, a large garden, an older commercial building. Local and national policy both support them.
- The local plan. Policy S3 supports, in principle, proposals within the developed footprint of the Lincoln Urban Area at appropriate locations, even where the site is not an allocation or an area for change.
- National policy S4. For land within a settlement, the August 2026 framework expects permission unless the harm of a scheme would substantially outweigh its benefits, as Central Lincolnshire's own note on the new framework of October 2026 accepts.
- Density near the station. The plan's site evidence, accepted at examination, treated Lincoln sites within one kilometre of the railway station as higher density.
What Slows a City Site Down
- The Witham and its drains. Flood risk was one of the three constraints the inspectors named on the western edge, and land near the river, Brayford Pool or the dykes needs its flood zone checked first. Our flood risk guide explains the sequential test.
- The Cathedral and the historic core. Policies S57 on the historic environment and S58 on Lincoln's setting and character apply, and heritage was the second constraint the inspectors named.
- Shared housing. Because of the city-wide Article 4 direction, in force since 1 March 2016, turning a house into a small shared house needs planning permission anywhere in the city, so a plan for shared housing is tested in full.
Owners selling brownfield land in Lincoln are usually selling something small, and the developed footprint test, more than any housing figure, decides whether a yard or a garage court is worth taking forward. Our brownfield and yards page shows the kind of site we mean.
A Supply Position Measured Across Three Councils
Central Lincolnshire publishes one five-year supply report for all three councils. The report of October 2025 uses monitoring data at 31 March 2025 and finds 7.1 years across the plan area:
| Part of the calculation | Figure in the report |
|---|---|
| Yearly requirement | 1,102 homes, from the adopted plan |
| Buffer | 5%, taking the yearly figure to 1,157 |
| Five-year requirement | 5,785 homes |
| Small sites with permission | 1,008 homes |
| Large sites with detailed permission | 5,400 homes |
| Large sites with outline permission or allocations | 1,288 homes |
| Student accommodation and residential institutions | 89 homes |
| Windfall allowance, from 2027/28 | 450 homes |
| Deliverable supply | 8,235 homes |
| Result | 7.1 years |
The report adds that the requirement has been consistently exceeded since the plan period began, but its supply totals are not split by council. There is no published supply figure for the city alone, and the joint figure is never Lincoln's own.
What a Joint Supply Above Five Years Means for a Site
Beyond a settlement, national policy S5 backs homes where unmet need is evidenced and the land relates well to the place and can be served by its roads, schools and drainage. A supply below five years is one piece of evidence of need, weighed with everything else and not decisive by itself, while a delivery result under 75% has need treated as evidenced. Neither applies across Central Lincolnshire on the current figures, and the October 2026 note confirms that the area maintains a five-year supply taking into account the necessary buffers.
Few Lincoln sites lie beyond the built-up area, so for an owner selling land in the city the strong supply is a reason to start from the urban routes above and the new plan, not from housing numbers.
The City's Own Completions, and the Joint Result
The Housing Delivery Test 2025 scores the three councils as one, the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan area: 4,544 homes built against 3,219 required, a result of 141% for the plan area, not for the City of Lincoln. The city's own monitoring report for 2024/25 shows how few of those homes fall inside its boundary:
| Year | Net completions in the City of Lincoln | Homes built in the Lincoln Strategy Area |
|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | 346 | 1,050 |
| 2019/20 | 205 | 1,029 |
| 2020/21 | 167 | 770 |
| 2021/22 | 148 | 842 |
| 2022/23 | 159 | 829 |
| 2023/24 | 135 | 759 |
| 2024/25 | 105 | 657 |
Of the 105 net homes completed in the city in 2024/25, 11 were affordable. Across Central Lincolnshire, 1,214 homes were built that year, and the Lincoln Strategy Area has taken 61% of all homes since 2018, close to the 64% the plan intends.
Most of the strategy area's homes are now built outside the city boundary, and the city's completions in 2024/25 were under a third of their 2018/19 level. For an owner selling land in Lincoln, that is the gap a well chosen urban site helps fill.
Putting Land Forward in the New Central Lincolnshire Plan
On 12 October 2026 the Joint Strategic Planning Committee published its notice of intention to begin preparing a new plan, under the government's new system for local plans with its three gateway checks. The timetable it published in November 2026 sets out the stages:
| Stage | Date in the timetable |
|---|---|
| Scoping consultation | Opened on 22 October 2026; the closing date for representations is 23:59 on 17 December 2026 |
| Gateway 1 self-assessment summary | March 2027 |
| Consultation on proposed plan content and evidence | From 30 September 2027 to 11 November 2027 |
| Gateway 2 | January 2028 |
| Consultation on the proposed plan | June to August 2028 |
| Gateway 3 | October 2028 |
| Submission for examination | December 2028 |
| Examination | January to July 2029 |
| Adoption | September 2029 |
The three councils ran a call for sites between December 2025 and February 2026, open to land for housing, employment and other uses. Their consultations page says the online call for sites tool has been reopened during the scoping consultation, which has a closing date of 17 December 2026. Our call for sites guide explains what happens to each entry.
The content and evidence consultation in the autumn of 2027 is where the councils first set out what the new plan should hold, so the evidence behind a city site does most good ready by then.
Timing a Sale of Land in Lincoln Before the Next Plan
The adopted plan turns five in April 2028, more than a year before the timetable expects its replacement to be adopted in September 2029. National policy then generally replaces a plan's own requirement with the standard method when supply is tested, so the joint 1,102 homes a year would stop being the yardstick. We would not predict the outcome.
A Joint Result Above Every Threshold
The Housing Delivery Test 2025 was published on 17 August 2026. At 141% for the plan area as a whole, none of its consequences applies: below 95% an action plan, below 85% a 20% buffer, below 75% unmet need treated as evidenced under policy S5. Central Lincolnshire has published each supply report in October or early November since 2021; when this page was checked in November 2026 the October 2025 report was still the latest, and the next report replaces the figure for all three councils together.
A Lincoln Council Proposed, Then Sent Back for Review
In July 2026 the government chose two new unitary councils for the county, one covering Lincoln and one for the rest of Lincolnshire. On 29 October 2026 it withdrew that decision, so that every proposal first submitted in November 2025 can be considered again. As West Lindsey District Council reported on 2 November 2026, "the withdrawal does not mean that reorganisation has been cancelled", and the government has committed to an outcome for each area under review by early 2027. Until a new structure is decided and set up, the City of Lincoln Council decides applications inside the city, and the joint committee prepares the new plan. For an owner of land on the city edge, that means the application route and the plan work described above carry on as they are.
So a yard or garage court can be looked at now, under policy S3 and national policy S4, while land that needs an allocation is best prepared for the content consultation in the autumn of 2027.
Questions About Selling Land in Lincoln
My land has a Lincoln postcode. How do I know whether the City Council or North Kesteven decides on it?
The postcode does not tell you. The city boundary is drawn tightly: North Hykeham lies outside it, the two southern quadrants are North Kesteven sites, and the first homes at the North East Quadrant are in West Lindsey. We check the boundary on the title plan at the start of our review.
Central Lincolnshire has more than five years of land. Is my yard in Boultham still worth putting forward?
Often, yes. A yard inside the built-up city is judged on whether homes suit that spot, under local policy S3 and national policy S4, not on housing numbers, which matter mainly for land beyond the edge of a settlement.
I put my land into the call for sites in early 2026. Do I need to submit it again?
The reopened call for sites page does not say whether earlier entries carry over, so we confirm your site is on the councils' record as part of our review. Evidence on access, flooding and heritage, ready before the content consultation in the autumn of 2027, is what moves it forward.
Does the Western Growth Corridor leave room for other land in the city to come forward?
Yes. It meets much of the city's planned growth in the west, but the plan puts urban regeneration first and supports small sites within the developed footprint in principle.
Could I sell a house in the city with a large garden for a few new homes?
Sometimes. Large gardens and backland inside the developed footprint can suit a small group of homes where access, neighbours and any heritage setting allow. Shared housing needs planning permission first under the city-wide Article 4 direction. Our paddocks and small sites page shows plots of that size.
What price will you pay for my land?
We agree a fixed price with you at the start, before any planning work begins, and it is set above what your land is worth today. We cannot name a figure before we have looked at your land, because it depends on the site itself: its size, its access, how many homes it could take and the costs that come off land value, such as affordable housing, road works and drainage. After the free desktop review we can talk about a price, and once agreed it is written into the agreement.
When would I be paid?
You receive the agreed price on completion, once planning permission has been secured. The agreement sets out the milestones along the way, and it continues while any planning application or appeal is being decided. Until completion you carry on using your land as you do now, and we pay for all of the planning. If permission is not granted, you keep your land and owe nothing.
More Questions Landowners Selling Land in Lincoln Ask
The same questions come up wherever land is put forward. Each is answered in full in our guides, and with the local plan the main route in Lincoln, these are the ones that matter most here.
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Can I Keep My House, or a Plot for My Family, and Put the Rest of My Land Forward?
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Selling Land in Lincoln? Tell Us About It
It takes about two minutes. We only need your postcode, your name and a phone number or email; the rest helps us look properly.
- We reply within 2 working days, by phone or email, whichever you prefer.
- The desktop review is free and confidential, with no obligation.
- If we agree terms, we pay for all of the planning, which on a larger site can reach £300,000.
More in Lincolnshire
County overview
Selling Land in Lincolnshire
Sell land for development in Lincolnshire: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Neighbouring council · Homes built: 141% of need (joint area)
Selling Land in North Kesteven
Sell land for development in North Kesteven: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Neighbouring council · Homes built: 141% of need (joint area)
Selling Land in West Lindsey
Sell land for development in West Lindsey: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 127% of need
Selling Land in Boston
Sell land in Boston, near Kirton. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 129% of need
Selling Land in East Lindsey
Sell land for development in East Lindsey: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 161% of need
Selling Land in South Holland
Sell land for development in South Holland: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 97% of need
Selling Land in South Kesteven
Sell land for development in South Kesteven: free review, we pay for all the planning, price agreed first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 137% of need
Selling Land in North Lincolnshire
Sell land in North Lincolnshire. Free review. We pay for all the planning and agree your price up front. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Homes built: 244% of need
Selling Land in North East Lincolnshire
Selling land in North East Lincolnshire? We pay for all the planning and agree your price first. If it fails, you keep your land and owe nothing.
Sources
- Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee: Central Lincolnshire Local Plan (adopted April 2023)
- Planning Inspectorate: Report on the examination of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan (March 2023)
- Central Lincolnshire: Five Year Land Supply Report 2025 to 2030 (October 2025)
- Central Lincolnshire: The adopted Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and the new NPPF (October 2026)
- Central Lincolnshire: Local Plan Review Timetable (November 2026)
- Central Lincolnshire: Consultations, including the Local Plan scoping consultation and call for sites (November 2026)
- City of Lincoln Council: Authority Monitoring Report, 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (October 2026)
- Central Lincolnshire: Local Plan Monitoring Report 2024 to 2025 (October 2026)
- Lincolnshire County Council: Note IG1, update on the status of Sustainable Urban Extensions, A1461 North Hykeham Relief Road inquiry (July 2025)
- City of Lincoln Council: Article 4 directions
- West Lindsey District Council: Government withdraws Lincolnshire LGR decision as 15 areas await further decisions (November 2026)
- Wikipedia: Lincoln, England
Figures on this page come from the Housing Delivery Test 2025 (published 17 August 2026) and the Planning Inspectorate's local plan monitoring to August 2026, with newer plan milestones checked on 24 September 2026. We update the page when new results or plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.