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A £12m scheme to transform a historic town hall site has received a further funding boost. It comes as the restoration and extension of the Grade II listed Lowestoft Town Hall is set to begin in February, After Lowestoft Town Council secured a £1.2m grant increase from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Town Hall regeneration project, East Suffolk Council has now agreed a funding increase for the scheme.
The project to bring the landmark Town Hall in Lowestoft back into community use had been boosted last week - as this newspaper revealed - as the latest £1.2m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund took the total provided to £4,457,512 of funding towards the project. With this funding in place, it meant work on the building could begin in February 2025 with the Town Hall reopening in Summer 2026.
And now, further funding support this week from East Suffolk Council - adding to the previous £900,000 pledged - has strengthened their commitment to supporting Lowestoft Town Council in bringing the landmark building back to life. Having been vacant and unoccupied for almost a decade, the town hall in Lowestoft has been owned by Lowestoft Town Council since 2017. But with the building having been "in a poor and rapidly deteriorating condition" it has lain empty since spring 2015.
Now, works will see the town hall renovated into a multi-functional community space, containing an innovative heritage hub, gallery, café, a wedding and reception venue, community event space, town council and registrar offices. Nasima Begum, mayor of Lowestoft, said: "I wish to thank East Suffolk Council for agreeing to provide further support to the Town Hall regeneration. Mayor of Lowestoft, Cllr Nasima Begum.
Picture: Mick Howes (Image: Mick Howes) "We are at a very exciting stage of the project with work due to begin within the next month and this additional support will help bring this iconic building back into public use." Caroline Topping, East Suffolk Council leader, added: "A lot of effort has already gone into this project to bring Lowestoft Town Hall back into use as a community asset and heritage venue. East Suffolk Council leader Caroline Topping.
Picture: Newsquest (Image: Archant) "Alongside an additional grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, East Suffolk Council’s contribution will help to meet funding targets and take this transformational project forward. "We look forward to seeing the building open to the public once again." The Lowestoft Town Hall project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported by National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside other significant funders for the regeneration including Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council.
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