More than 60 developers, investors, land agents, house builders and influencers gathered at a landmark event in Gainsborough yesterday (13 July) to kickstart major regeneration and drive inward investment into the historic town.
The Invest Gainsborough initiative, led by West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) and supported by the private sector, is actively promoting residential, commercial and mixed-used land earmarked for development.
Details of sites where 4,350 new homes will be built and 19 hectares of prime commercial land for growing businesses have been outlined in a development prospectus with the town’s ambitious vision, which was presented at the event.
Eve Fawcett-Moralee, strategic lead for economic development for WLDC said: “Our prospectus not only presents the scale and range of development opportunities, but also outlines the wider vision for the town.
“The town is expected to benefit from 12 per cent economic growth and around 3,000 jobs in the next 18 years. Many don’t realise how close Gainsborough is to major motorways and international airports too.
“This should reassure investors that, with support from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and local private sector businesses, that this isn’t just a flash in the plan but a real turning point for the town.
“We’re really excited to talk to so many potential investors about the opportunities available here and I’m confident this will help to spur on the town’s rejuvenation.”
Karl Tupling, executive director, Midlands for the HCA said: “The Greater Gainsborough Housing Zone offers enormous potential to drive up housing supply in the area and create thousands of new homes over the coming years.
“The town offers great potential for future homeowners and has significant brownfield land that could be developed with the river-frontage capable of delivering a range of housing types.
“The HCA will continue working in partnership with the council to seek first-rate developers to work on delivering these opportunities for local people.”
Speakers at the event included Steve Gelder, CEO for Gelder Group, Tim Downing senior partner for Pygott & Crone, outlining their support for the event, Clive Fletcher, principle advisor for Historic England.
Tim said: “Gainsborough is full of golden opportunities that are yet to be unlocked and we’re so confident in the town’s growth that we’re planning to open another office here as the number of residential properties increase.”
Steve also said: “I’m happy to be involved in the Invest Gainsborough project to help boost inward investment. After growing a successful business in the region myself, I know that Gainsborough has real aspiration that we can capitalise on.”
The event comes months after the government selected Gainsborough as one of 20 locations outside London with Housing Zone status and WLDC committed to a £18 million investment into the town.
Cllr Jeff Summers added: “We are committed to making Invest Gainsborough work and now with the governance structure in place and additional support from the HCA to aid growth we’re looking forward to speaking to more developers about the opportunities in the historic town.”
Invest Gainsborough is a programme of work delivered by West Lindsey District Council working in partnership with the HCA.
