Charity shops and empty shop fronts are a common sight in the small market town of Sleaford in Lincolnshire.  While research has found that 85p out of every £1 of non-food retail is spent outside of the once-bustling town, a debate has been growing over how best to regenerate the now-down-at-heel Sleaford and bring in investment and new retailers.

In 2009, planning permission was given by North Kesteven DC to Tesco to build a new 9,000m2 store at a new site in the town.

The retail giant already has one small store on the outskirts of town, but unprecedented population growth in Sleaford, due to the area's quality of life, excellent schools and below-national-average house prices, meant that demand had far outstripped supply.

Unsurprisingly, traffic had also become a major issue.  An ageing highways infrastructure, exacerbated at peak hours by a level crossing, divided the main retail area of the town in half.

The level crossing is currently 64th (of 1,900) on Network Rail's ‘hit list' of level crossings which it believes poses a serious risk.  In 2011, Network Rail pledged its support to have the level crossing closed.

The proposed new Tesco development on the former Advanta Seeds site at the
southern end of Southgate is central to a broader regeneration programme for Sleaford.  The store is committed to financing a new link road to ease traffic flow in the town; close the level crossing causing a bottleneck and build a footbridge
over the railway and support the approved redevelopment of the historic Bass Maltings.

Collectively, these three initiatives dovetail into the biggest and most economically significant commercial investments in Sleaford since the opening of The Navigation more than 200 years ago.

Tesco's creation of a larger store, as initially approved in 2009, will create an additional 230 jobs on top of its existing 200-plus staff.

There is further potential for around 120 further jobs in non-food retail at units
to be established at Tesco's current Northgate site at the other side of the town, once the new store has been built.

Collectively, the £100m being invested in the Tesco and Maltings projects has scope to create some 1,000 much-needed jobs, in addition to broader jobs growth achieved through wider economic regeneration, supported by renewed business confidence.

This enormous expression of investor confidence will also support North Kesteven DC in achieving wider regeneration aims and help bring forward measures outlined in the adopted Sleaford Forward Masterplan to support the community, develop infrastructure and promote increased employment and business prosperity over the next 25 years.

Given the wider economic situation and global financial uncertainty, Tesco has understandably thought long and hard about all of its investments and remains focused on its vision for Sleaford.

Such a strong expression of investor confidence sends a strong message that Sleaford is somewhere to do business and gives us a boost is pushing forward with our broader regeneration vision.

The land required to build the link road is owned by Sleaford Town Council, which – despite being offered a larger parcel of land in addition to the purchase price for the land they would be selling – has so far refused to sell to the district council.

The Town Council has claimed in the local press that the land (a small portion of a local recreation ground) should not be sold, as some mature trees would need to be removed and there is concern about noise and the size of the proposed road.

Sleaford Town Council also claimed in the local press that a development like Tesco would kill off local commerce, rather than bring extra footfall to the town.

The district council argued that the addition of 600 free parking spaces for two hours at Tesco would encourage shoppers to park and walk the few minutes it takes to get to the town centre.

The Bass Maltings appears at the top of English Heritage's ‘heritage at risk' register for 2011 as a key priority for action within the region.  It is the largest building
on the risk register in the entire country, which has proved to be an obstacle in securing its future.

Built in 1907 by Bass, and operational through to 1959, the Maltings are Grade II-listed and among the top 10% of listed buildings in the country.  They are uniquely significant in terms of scale, technological innovation, exceptional build quality and their impact on the landscape.

They were protected from demolition in 1982 by North Kesteven DC when the owners Padleys applied for demolition following a serious fire in 1976 – at a time when the complex was used for chicken rearing and processing frozen vegetables.

Extensive measures have been taken to preserve as much of the iconic building as possible, with Block 1 conserved completely intact, parts of the industrial architecture retained as heritage displays, original iron windows preserved with financial support from English Heritage, repair and retention and only partial demolition of fire-damaged blocks to house parking.

English Heritage has been closely involved in negotiations to protect the Grade II-star listed industrial complex, including extensive research and the gifting of grant funding to preserve the unique windows for maximum architectural impact within the redevelopment proposals.  Prince Charles has also maintained a close personal interest in the site.

Gladedale special projects division is waiting to start work on the long-anticipated £100m project to restore, renovate, extend, alter and partially demolish the enormous Maltings complex at Mareham Lane to provide a mixed use development.

This involves 204 flats, restaurant, retail, office and healthcare space, parking and 24 new houses.

North Kesteven DC's planning committee unanimously approved the landmark scheme in April 2011, subject to the signing and sealing of a legal agreement taking into account a number of key aspects to ensure maximum community benefit.

North Kesteven DC has invested almost seven years in working out the perfect solution for the Maltings complex.

Pressure groups on both sides of the fence have campaigned to get their point across. Notably the Don't Let Sleaford Die group, headed by local resident Stuart Couling, has taken to the front pages of the local papers to get its voice heard.  The group has been urging the town council to work with the district council without the need for a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the land to build the link road; even handing in a petition to both sides urging us to work together without the need for a CPO.

The debate came to a head on Thursday 1 August when an extraordinary full council meeting determined that the district council will seek a CPO to secure the land essential for the future growth of the town.

The link road is the key to unlocking the regeneration of the Southgate area, attracting upwards of £100m of private investment, strengthening the town's retail sector, creating jobs, securing the future of the at-risk Maltings and creating a safer road network.  Enhancing the town centre and providing a boost to investor confidence will facilitate regeneration and bring jobs and prosperity.

Should it stall, I have no doubt that there is no other prospect of realising all of these benefits.  It is for this reason that I am proud of the bold step we have taken to avoid what would otherwise be a consequential decline in investor confidence and uncertainty for the future of the town and the Maltings in particular.

Cllr Marion Brighton is leader of North Kesteven DC