North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) commissioned NEF Consulting to investigate how the council and residents could improve the sustainability and identity of Sleaford town centre. Through use of appreciative inquiry surveys, local stakeholders identified those assets of Sleaford that matter most to them; their experience of Sleaford, i.e. with regard to wellbeing, distinctiveness, and resilience, and how this experience can be improved. These techniques, coupled with NEF Consulting tools designed to understand local money flows, created a framework for change for NKDC to harness the power of local stakeholders to improve Sleaford as a place to live, to work, and to shop.

The report and subsequent sustainability framework is now a part of NKDC’s material planning considerations for all future developments.