East Suffolk Council
Lowestoft Towns Deal and Levelling Up
Lowestoft has been experiencing a change over a number of years and is a place with potential for growth that will benefit the existing and incoming population.
In 2020, a Town Investment Plan which set out Lowestoft’s ambitions, opportunities, and challenges over the next ten years, was developed in partnership with the Lowestoft Place Board. The Town Investment Plan was submitted to Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) as the basis of a £24.9m bid for a share of Towns Fund, which was created in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to regenerate towns and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth through investments in urban regeneration, digital and physical connectivity, skills, heritage and enterprise infrastructure. Full funding was provisionally secured in March 2021, and following the approval of business cases, was fully granted in August 2022.
In March 2023, following an unsuccessful bid for Levelling Up Funding, a further £4.3m was secured to bring forward a further project for Lowestoft’s seafront.
Roles and Responsibilities
East Suffolk Council are the accountable body for distribution of the Towns Deal and Levelling up funds. Projects and business cases were approved for delivery, in line with the submitted business cases, by East Suffolk Council Cabinet on 3 March 2022. The Lowestoft Place Board provide a critical friend function through the delivery of the Town Deal and Levelling Up projects.
| Roles and responsibilities (click to enlarge) |
|---|
 |
East Suffolk Council will be responsible for providing Monitoring and Evaluation returns to the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) which detail project progress, risk and cost (including spend profile). These returns will be approved by East Suffolk Council Section 151 officer and endorsed by the Chair of the Lowestoft Place Board.
Any changes to projects outside of agreed tolerances will require a formal Project Adjust Request (PAR) to DLUHC. A PAR will first be required to be endorsed by the Lowestoft Place board and then approved by East Suffolk Council Cabinet.
East Suffolk Council will be responsible for updating DLUHC on a regular basis and responding to any project enquiries.
Lowestoft Town Investment Plan
The investment plan was developed by Lowestoft Place Board in partnership with East Suffolk Council. The investment plan sets out ambitious plans for future development and investment in Lowestoft over the next 10 years.
The locally-owned investment plan covers the wider Lowestoft area and will drive real change through long-term economic and productivity growth, through investment in land use, economic assets, including cultural assets, skills and enterprise infrastructure.
The objectives of the Town Investment Plan are:
- To overcome barriers to unlock private and public sector investment to enable growth and development.
- To improve the quality, sustainability and range of housing stock, futureproofing housing demand.
- To provide a town which retains and attracts younger people to work and live.
- To provide facilities, employment land and premises to capitalise on the continued investment in the offshore renewables, engineering, maritime and science sectors.
- To secure long-term, higher skilled jobs that raise aspiration and increase opportunities.
- To capitalise on the town’s heritage and cultural assets, enhancing the offer for the future, driving economic growth and to enable community cohesion.
- To Improve digital infrastructure for current and future generations.
- Increase the resilience of the town to mitigate and adapt to the current and future impact of climate change.
Lowestoft Place Board
The Lowestoft Place Board consists of a broad spectrum of public, private and third sector partners who have each played a critical role in the development of the Town Investment Plan and will continue that process through to the delivery stage. The Place Board will continue to be the vehicle through which the vision and long-term strategy for the town is defined.
The role of the Place Board is to:
- Develop and agree an evidenced based Town Investment Plan
- Develop a clear programme of interventions
- Coordinate resources and influence stakeholders
- To serve as an advisory body to all forms of local government within Lowestoft
- Oversee the delivery of the Town Investment Plan
- Coordinating the wider Lowestoft placemaking initiative and Ambassadors Programme
Documents
- Lowestoft Place Board Members
- Lowestoft Place Board Objectives
- Lowestoft Place Board Members Code of Conduct
- Lowestoft Place Board Members Terms of Reference
- Lowestoft Place Board Members Communication Protocol
- Lowestoft Place Board Members Declaration of Interests
Inclusive Growth
The Place Board is keen to ensure that inclusive growth is fully embedded into the Town Investment Plan. The Inclusive Growth Framework developed by Suffolk County Council has been used by East Suffolk Council, to review how all work taking place in Lowestoft, including the Town Investment Plan, is meeting the outcomes set out by the framework. This includes economic opportunities that benefit everyone, so no-one is left behind; a healthy resilient workforce; education and skills development opportunities at all ages; safe, appropriate homes; resilient, connected, and sustainable communities.
The public sector particularly can influence directly and indirectly, to enable and encourage sustainable, positive outcomes for local people and therefore, have an important role in enabling an inclusive approach to growth. This includes aspects such as social value in procurement, recruitment to ensure equality of opportunity, training and apprenticeships and designing public spaces that enable the wellbeing of communities. The Town Investment Plan projects have been assessed on how they address inclusive growth and in delivery will seek to achieve some of the inclusive growth outcomes of the framework, including aspects such as how contractors and the supply chain will invest in local skills and development opportunities such as apprenticeships and upskilling.