Elm Tree Farm, Heapham Lane, Heapham, Gainsborough, DN21 5PT Data via plota.co.uk

WL/2026/00311 - Full Planning Application Approved

Proposal

Planning application for conversion and rebuild of barn to create 1no. dwelling, demolition of existing agricultural building and replacement building for agricultural and domestic use. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
28 Mar 2026
✓
Validated
31 Mar 2026
✓
Approved
7 Oct 2026

Approved on 7 Oct 2026 · Planning Committee · Last checked 11 Oct 2026

Planning committee

Decided by West Lindsey Planning Committee on 22 Jul 2026.

Approved

As officers recommended.

  • Officers advised approval because the heritage benefits of restoring the barn would outweigh the replacement building’s harm and policy departure.
  • No residents or parish council objected, while highways raised no objection and ecology requested further information and updated surveys.
  • The committee voted to accept the officer recommendation and granted permission subject to conditions.
Read how the committee decided The proposal, site history, officer assessment, consultation responses, committee debate, conditions and decision. Includes the meeting recording

Source: Plota analysis of West Lindsey's committee minutes of 22 Jul 2026.

Site constraints 6

Public restricted byway 13 m away
Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.
Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.
Scheduled monument 18 m away: Dovecote at Elm Tree Farm
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Nationally important archaeology protected by the Secretary of State. Work that affects the monument or its setting is rarely permitted.
Historic England ↗
Agricultural land, grade 3a
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
National infrastructure project 576 m away: Tillbridge Solar Project
The site is 576 m from the project boundary. Generating station, decided. The project page says whether consent was granted. Also within 2 km: Cottam Solar Project (decided, 1031 m); H2East Pipeline: Humber to Nottinghamshire (at pre-application, the site is inside its boundary).
Nationally significant infrastructure projects (power stations, electricity lines, pipelines, major roads and railways, harbours, airports and reservoirs) are consented by a Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008, after an examination by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the council. The boundary is the one the Inspectorate consults on and can change as the scheme does. Projects are shown within 2 km of the site.
Planning Inspectorate project page ↗
Also on the record
Radon affected area, class 2; Priority habitat 14 m away: Good quality semi improved grassland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Application type
Full Planning Application
Postcode
DN21 5PT
Received
28 Mar 2026
Validated
31 Mar 2026
Ward
HEMSWELL
Parish
Heapham CP
Case officer
Show
Target decision
26 May 2026
Decision
Grant with conditions
Decision date
7 Oct 2026
Decision level
Planning Committee
Applicant
Show
Agent
Hubble Architecture Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 190 days from validation, 148 days slower than West Lindsey's median of 42 for agricultural works. Approved, as 80% of agricultural works here are.

72%decided within 8 weeks
80%approved
47decided in the last year

Plota live figures for agricultural works decided by West Lindsey in the last twelve months, from validation. West Lindsey decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP/2026/00300
Consultation
2 Apr 2026
Comments by
4 May 2026
Committee
22 Jul 2026
Statutory expiry
9 Oct 2026
Env. assessment
No
West Lindsey
Planning Authority Score
5.3/10
Average
#134 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

West Lindsey ranks #110 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (94%) than the national average (90%).

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
West Lindsey decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
93%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #70 of 296
94%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #123 of 296
72%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #110 of 296
44%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #187 of 296
88%
Minor dwellings approved
80 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
25 decided (10+ homes)
94%
Change of use approved
33 decided
562
Total decisions
39 refused in the year to March 2026