East Suffolk Council
Council pledges £900,000 investment for Town Hall restoration project
A project to restore and revitalise Lowestoft’s historic Town Hall has received a further funding boost thanks to a £900,000 investment by East Suffolk Council.
The funding will go towards a project to transform the vacant High Street building into a multi-functional community space, containing a Heritage Gallery, café, community event space and town council offices.
On Tuesday, Cabinet members agreed a request from building owner and project leader, Lowestoft Town Council, for a financial contribution towards the redevelopment, which forms part of the Lowestoft Town Investment Plan and the Towns Fund programme.
The building occupied by the former Waveney District Council until 2015, when operations moved to new Riverside offices, and was transferred to Lowestoft Town Council in 2017.
East Suffolk Council has already provided support in developing the project plan and bidding for additional external funding, which included an allocation of £2million in Towns Fund investment as part of the overall £24.9m Lowestoft’s Town Deal awarded by the Department for Levelling Up, Homes & Communities (DLUHC) in 2022.
Last month, the project received another major £3,257,512 funding boost from The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of a £12.2m investment to help restore 12 historic buildings nationwide.
Toby Hammond, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport, said:
“We are delighted to be able to agree this further investment in the Lowestoft Town Hall regeneration project, which promises to maintain the listed building’s character, while greatly increasing its uses and maximising sustainability.”
Cllr Sonia Barker, Mayor of Lowestoft, said:
“I am delighted that East Suffolk Council are supporting the regeneration of the Town Hall.
“Added to the recent funding award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, this investment will benefit the people of Lowestoft as we restore this community asset.
“Thank you to East Suffolk Council for their financial support and for other resources provided to date.”
The funding will be provided from East Suffolk Council’s Business Rate Equalisation Reserve.
The project has also previously received a development grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund and formed part of the North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone project, which ran between 2018 and 2023, delivered by East Suffolk Council in partnership with Historic England, Lowestoft Town Council, East Suffolk Building Preservation Trust and Lowestoft Vision, and which made strides in improving the High Street through heritage-led regeneration.