June 27, 2022 4.30 pm This story is over 20 months old

Lincoln village microbakery set to be ‘the heart of community’

Bakery measures just 3m x 3m

A Washingborough resident’s plan to create an artisan micro-bakery in her back garden studio has been approved by North Kesteven District Council.

Catherine Gilbert was given the go ahead to convert her 3m x 3m Main Road garden studio in a delegated decision by the authority’s planning officers after receiving no objections to the proposals.

Her plan is to run her Little Clowder Bakehouse business from the property, delivering bread to her local community.

In their report, officers said the business was a “sufficiently small scale business” to justify its location.

Documents submitted to the authority said the bakery would operate on a part-time basis, “strictly limited to during the day” for four days a week.

Orders would be placed by customers via telephone or by a new website and would be baked by the applicant alone.

There would also be an option where customers could take out weekly or monthly subscriptions to the product in order to keep waste to a minimum.

Designs for the outhouse supplied to North Kesteven District Council.

In a statement to the council, Catherine had said: “I want to serve my local community with real bread made from organic flour.

“Many years ago, every village would have had its own bakery; I want to put my little enterprise at the heart of my community.”

“I am 60 this year; I have no intention of expanding Little Clowder Bakehouse or employing staff; I just want to bake, sell my bread to my local community, and finish my working life doing something I absolutely love.”