Lowestoft £24.9m regeneration project gets government approval

The Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) will be included in the redevelopment project

Five parts of Lowestoft are to be revamped after the government rubber-stamped a £24.9m grant.

The town was chosen among 100 in the UK to benefit from the £3.6bn Towns Fund.

The areas due to be redeveloped are listed under the Station Quarter, Cultural Quarter, Historic Quarter, the Seafront Vision and the Port Gateway.

East Suffolk Council said the "ambitious plans" would "enhance the town", with work due to be completed by March 2026.

The former Post Office and front of the vacant Lowestoft railway station building will be fully restored and back in use, under the plans for the Station Quarter.

The Cultural Quarter will see improvements to the Marina Theatre and the creation of a new leisure facility, the council said.

The Historic Quarter will boast a revamped town hall and celebrate Lowestoft's past, it added. Meanwhile, the Seafront Vision will see the redevelopment of Royal Plain to complement the refurbished East Point Pavilion.

Finally, the Port Gateway project will support the development of the Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility for the offshore renewables sector.

The Lowestoft Town Investment Plan was developed in partnership with the Lowestoft Place Board, which is made up of representatives from the public and private and voluntary organisations, and is overseen by East Suffolk Council.

Craig Rivett, East Suffolk's Conservative deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development, said: "Receiving government approval for all of the business cases is incredible news and means we can now move forward at pace with our ambitious plans to enhance the town, driving economic growth and attracting future investment."

Waveney MP Peter Aldous, Conservative, said: "Lowestoft faces both tremendous challenges and opportunities in the coming years, and projects like these will help us to address the former and take advantage of the latter."