Needham Lake visitor centre plans approved

Needham Lake in Suffolk is to get its own visitor centre

Plans for a £600,000 visitor centre at the most-visited free attraction in the East of England have been approved.

Mid Suffolk District Council's planning committee unanimously gave the go-ahead for the plans for Needham Lake.

The project will be funded from retained business rates and includes a cafe and toilet facilities.

The former gravel pit, on a 13-hectare (32-acre) site on the edge of the River Gipping at Needham Market, had more than 376,000 visitors in 2018.

The site, comprising several small islands and wildlife habitats, has been owned and managed by the council since 1980.

Dan Towers, agent on behalf of Mid Suffolk District Council, said: "Needham Lake is a really exciting project to be involved in and is also a feel-good project."

An artist's impression of the new visitor centre at Needham Lake

The plans were backed by ward councillors and Needham Market Town Council, as well as locals, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The site currently only has one small refreshments hut and ward councillor Mike Norris said the centre was "a facility that's been very much in demand for some time."

The building will be lifted above the floodplain to help mitigate against flood risks.

Work is expected to commence early in 2020, ahead of a target opening in the summer.

The lake and amenities have been managed by Mid Suffolk District Council since 1980