Grantham Today

The town of Grantham is located on the River Witham in the South Kesteven district of South-West Lincolnshire. For the purpose of Growth Point, Grantham is considered to comprise the following eight wards: Earlesfield, Grantham St John's, Green Hill, Greyfriars, Harrowby, St Anne's, St Wulfram's and Belmont (contains Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without).

Population

The town has a population of approximately 40,000 (38,240 at the time of the last census in 2001). The revised housing allocations following Growth Point status mean that the population is likely to grow by approximately 20% by 2016 which would give it a population of approximately 48,000 in 2016. Projecting anticipated growth throughout the RSS period it is likely that the population will be close to 60,000 by 2026.

Quality of Life

Located on the edge of rural Lincolnshire, Grantham is an extremely attractive place in which to live. Deprivation levels are low on the whole, with many parts of the district amongst some of the least deprived nationally. There are however some small pockets of deprivation close to the town centre.
The town as a whole is a relatively safe place in which to live with a relatively healthy population. The town benefits from excellent external transport links due to its close proximity to the A1 and A52, and is only one hour from London and 30 minutes from Nottingham on the train.

Economy and Workforce

Economic activity rates within the town are high, with a large number of jobs per person in comparison with other towns in the UK. Indeed, some employers have often found it hard to recruit due to the relatively small labour force and high economic activity rates. Consequently economic inactivity is low compared with the national picture. There is also evidence of an entrepreneurial spirit within the area, with relatively high rates of self employment and new business formation.

The Grantham economy has traditionally been reliant on industries such as manufacturing, engineering, construction and wholesale and retail trade, particularly the textiles, plastics, timber and food industries. As nationally, there has been some evidence of decline within these sectors over recent years, yet they are still important for the local economy. Distribution, tourism and some service sectors have begun to play a more important role in the local economy over recent years.
Despite the increasing importance of the tourism sector, it is recognised that the town could be performing substantially better in this regard given its historical significance and the presence of a number of local tourist attractions including country houses, churches and castles.

The town's workforce is relatively well qualified compared with national levels, although there are some issues of basic skills requirements with a high proportion of the working age population having no qualifications. As mentioned previously, many of the higher skilled local people make use of the town's excellent transport links and travel out of the town to work as demonstrated by the fact that resident based earnings are significantly higher than workplace earnings. The town also struggles to retain many of its skilled younger graduates.

Housing Provision

Up until the recent market slow-down as a result of the 'credit crunch', house prices in Grantham have risen over recent years in line with national increases, although they are relatively low when compared with elsewhere in the district and wider Lincolnshire.

Commercial and Retail Property

Grantham town centre has traditionally had a role as a trading centre, particularly along the high street where a significant number of retailers are located. The town centre however has suffered from a lack of higher quality retailers, due in part to the lack of sites of the appropriate size and quality which such retailers' desire. In addition the town centre has suffered from a lack of a co-ordinated leisure offer and evening economy. Retail floorspace values as a result are low. However, the recent development of a masterplan for the town centre represents an important framework from which to re-develop the town centre and increase the catchment area of the town, attract larger retailers, create genuine mix-use quarters and improve connectivity between different parts of the town. The Masterplan sets out an ambitious vision for the town centre, and the realisation of this is likely to create a step change in the quality and increase the role of the central core of the town.

Commercial floorspace rates are closer to the regional average than retail averages, however they still remain low. The town's growth ambitions will lead to future employment growth being driven primarily by growth in higher value sectors, such as banking, finance and insurance as well as other services. Given the likely scale of development which will occur in Grantham over the coming period, construction is also likely to be a key growth sector.

Guildhall, St. Peter's Hill

Sankt Augustin Retail Park, Sankt Augustin Way

St. Wulfram's Church, from Vine Street

A1 Junction, Harlaxton

St. Wulfram's Church, from Castlegate

Riverside Walk, Wyndham Park