East Suffolk Council is delighted to confirm that work to deliver Lowestoft’s Cultural Quarter is progressing once more with a strong project team and a known cultural operator appointed.
This landmark regeneration project will transform an underused area of the town centre into a vibrant destination for culture, creativity, and community life. With the architect, contractor, and cultural operator now secured, the scheme is firmly anchored by expertise and commitment to deliver lasting benefits for Lowestoft.
Revised and updated plans will be shared in the coming months, welcoming community engagement, with further announcements as the project progresses.
Key highlights include:
- Cultural operator First Light CIC, the team behind Lowestoft’s annual First Light Festival, will occupy and animate the new cultural buildings, building on their successful free festival programme
- A revised design, including a new restaurant to help drive footfall and public realm improvements to enhance connectivity to the PowerPark and wider town centre, making the area more welcoming and accessible
- Architect LSi will be shaping the design that celebrate Lowestoft’s heritage while creating modern, flexible spaces for people to enjoy
- Contractor Morgan Sindall are experienced in complex projects, ensuring high‑quality delivery and resilience throughout the build
- Cost and Contract Management support will be provided by Greyfriars Project Management, supporting the council to drive the project through to completion.
Following an open application process for an operator, ESC are pleased to have First Light Festival CIC on board to deliver high‑quality artistic programming with a community focus, based on providing regular activity and exciting themes of work around music, movement, words, science and the environment, creative health and wellbeing and education and skills.
Together, these elements will complement the town’s existing cultural offer — including the Marina Theatre and Players Theatre by adding new opportunities and building on Lowestoft’s reputation for creativity and community engagement.
Caroline Topping, Leader East Suffolk Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration “We are delighted to confirm our architect, contractor, and cultural operator, who together bring the expertise and vision needed to deliver this ambitious project. The Cultural Quarter will be a place for local people, individuals, family and friends to come together, across generations to enjoy creativity, community, and opportunity — working alongside our existing cultural partners to ensure lasting benefits for Lowestoft.”
Alister Broadberry, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Eastern Counties said “This is an exciting regeneration project to be working on, as the Lowestoft Cultural Quarter will create a vibrant new arts hub, delivering a wide range of valuable benefits for the local area. We’re looking forward to working closely alongside East Suffolk Council, LSI Architects, and First Light CIC to ensure that this is a space which fosters creativity.”
“First Light Festival CIC is hugely excited to be part of this significant regeneration project for Lowestoft. The success of the Battery of Ideas project has demonstrated how important local partnerships and community engagement are in creating a vibrant and inclusive cultural space, and we look forward to working collaboratively with local, regional and national partners to create a vibrant arts hub which is accessible for everyone”. Genevieve Christie, CEO, First Light Festival CIC.
The projects is part of the £24.9M Towns Deal developed by East Suffolk Council and the Lowestoft Place Board.
