Ipswich and Lowestoft Towns Fund: Investment will make a 'substantial difference'

Lowestoft hopes to create a special area featuring cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating

The news that two Suffolk towns have been awarded £25m each for regeneration was "incredibly exciting", business leaders said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in the Budget that Ipswich and Lowestoft were two of 45 towns to be awarded a grant.

Paul Clement, chief executive of Ipswich Central, said it would "make a substantial difference".

Stephen Javes, chair of the Lowestoft Place Board, said it would "help the town to thrive".

"This is incredibly exciting news for Lowestoft," Mr Javes added.

He said it would enable them to deliver on "the ambitions set out within the Town Investment Plan and help the town to thrive, by providing a catalyst for future change".

• Ten ways the Budget will affect you

• 'Ambitious' plan to regenerate town unveiled

• £9,000 study looks at town centre's future

A green trail is being planned to link Ipswich waterfront to the town centre

Mr Clement said there were 11 projects planned for Ipswich town centre, including a bridge at the waterfront and the restoration of various buildings, while work would go ahead to make the town more green.

"It will help to attract people to the town centre and make it a better place to be, it's incredibly welcome," he said.

David Ellesmere, Ipswich Borough Council's Labour leader, said people had already been working hard to bring buildings back into use and this was "another positive step in our plan to regenerate the waterfront".

Part of the money will be spent on the Ipswich Town Centre Regeneration Fund, the council said

Lowestoft will be divided it into four areas under the plans, which will be linked together.

One quarter near the station will feature cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, while a "historic quarter" will boast a revamped town hall and celebrate Lowestoft's past.

A business case for each project will be prepared and it is hoped they will be delivered from April 2022, the council said.

East Suffolk Council hope to redevelop the old Beales store into a research facility for marine science