Pinchbeck Parish Council has published a Statement of Fact about the Glebe Field and Pinchbeck United Ltd, in view of some public misunderstanding and the strength of local feeling.
Statement of Fact – The Glebe Field / Pinchbeck United Ltd
Release Date: 30 March 2026
Pinchbeck Parish Council is aware of the strength of public feeling, including comments on social media, online commentary, and petitions, in relation to the Glebe Field and Pinchbeck United Ltd.
The Parish Council therefore issues this Statement of Fact to address points of public misunderstanding.
1. The Glebe Field is a Parish Council asset held for the benefit of the whole community.
The Parish Council has a legal duty to ensure that its use is lawful, properly governed, and in the public interest. That has been the Parish Council’s stated position throughout. There are no proposals to sell the Glebe Field for housing or other redevelopment inconsistent with its existing restrictions.
2. There is a live legal disagreement regarding the basis on which the Glebe Field is occupied and used.
The Parish Council and Pinchbeck United Ltd do not share the same view of the legal basis on which the Glebe Field is occupied and used. That issue must be addressed by reference to evidence and legal advice, not by assertion or online commentary.
3. The Parish Council is taking professional advice and acting on that basis.
Acting on legal advice, the Parish Council has served formal notice requiring cessation of use and vacant possession on or before 31 July 2026.
The purpose is to regularise the legal position of a public asset and to ensure that any future use is placed on a properly documented, legally compliant footing.
4. The service of notice is not intended to prevent further discussion.
The Parish Council remains willing to seek an agreed, legally compliant arrangement for continued football use. A properly documented licence or other lawful arrangement remains capable of discussion. The Parish Council has also previously indicated a willingness to assist with reasonable legal costs to help facilitate proper engagement. Any such arrangement, however, requires structured negotiations through the parties’ instructed legal representatives.
5. Structured solicitor-to-solicitor negotiations have not yet commenced.
Despite public references by Pinchbeck United Ltd to legal advice being taken and to a wish to find a way forward, the Parish Council’s solicitors have not received any approach from Pinchbeck United Ltd or its solicitors to commence structured negotiations since service of the notice at the end of January 2026.
6. Some matters cannot properly be debated in public while legal issues remain live.
The Parish Council will not place privileged, confidential, or commercially sensitive material into the public domain. That is not a lack of transparency; it is a normal and proper consequence of live matters concerning a public asset on which the Parish Council is taking legal advice.
7. Online speculation should not be mistaken for fact.
Public comments have included allegations that the Parish Council intends to sell the Glebe Field for housing or has already reached undisclosed decisions about the future of the site. There are no proposals to sell the Glebe Field. The issue is the legal and governance basis of occupation and use, not a housing proposal.
8. The Glebe Field is not simply an unrestricted site available for general redevelopment.
The registered title describes the land as “Pinchbeck Glebe Playing Field”. It contains significant restrictions requiring the land to be used as a playing field, prohibiting residential buildings, and imposing further obligations and protections affecting the land.
It also contains obligations requiring reasonable endeavours to allow pupils attending East Pinchbeck Primary School access to and use of the playing field during normal school hours, subject to a fair contribution to maintenance, and records rights affecting the Old Village School / Adult Education Centre and a right of way from Knight Street.
These matters underline that the land is subject to a specific legal framework consistent with community and educational use.
9. Public debate should remain calm, factual, and respectful.
The Parish Council recognises that there are strong feelings about the Glebe Field and Pinchbeck United Ltd, and it respects the right of residents to express their views. However, personal accusations or unsupported allegations of dishonesty, impropriety, or ulterior motive do not assist a constructive resolution.
The Parish Council asks that public discussion remains calm, evidence-based, and respectful of all parties.
10. The Parish Council recognises the importance of football and wider community activity in Pinchbeck.
The Parish Council recognises, and has consistently recognised, the importance of football and wider community activity in Pinchbeck. It is clear from public comment that many residents value the sporting, social, and community use associated with the site, and the current legal dispute does not alter the fact that those views are understood.
11. The Parish Council’s responsibility is to the whole parish.
That includes supporting community activity where possible, but doing so on terms that are clear, lawful, enforceable, and fair to the wider public. Public land cannot properly be managed on the basis of assumption, historical sentiment, or informal arrangements whose legal status is disputed.
12. The Parish Council remains willing to engage properly and constructively.
If Pinchbeck United Ltd wishes to pursue an agreed outcome, the appropriate route remains structured engagement through the respective solicitors. The Parish Council remains open to that process.
As matters remain live and legally advised, it would not be appropriate to comment further on disputed legal detail at this stage. Further updates will be provided if and when appropriate.