It’s always great to see a proper glow-up. A spiritual glow-up, if you will. One where a person – or in this case a town – comes out not only looking better on the outside, but feeling rejuvenated. That is what the small Suffolk town of Lowestoft is hoping to gain from a recently approved £24 million town-centre upgrade.
Once a bustling fishing town and seaside resort, Lowestoft has long been in desperate need of some attention and love. After the decline of both its primary industries, the Suffolk town has seen little investment in recent decades, so this change will be welcomed by its population.
Lowestoft has been going through a series of upgrades in recent years as part of the Think Lowestoft project which is being spearheaded by architectural firm Chaplin Farrant. Some pretty cool changes have been made, including improving accessibility on its beach, constructing some brand new modern beach huts, and re-opening the historic East Point Pavilion. This week, planning permission was received to complete an entire overhaul of the town centre.
The renovations, which passed through the planning permission stage of development earlier this week, would see the partial demolition of Battery Green car park, which councillor Paul Ashdown described as ‘a monstrosity in the town’.
In its place will be a brand new ‘cultural centre’, at the heart of which would be a community hub complete with a cafe, a multi-use space for local clubs and events, and space for pop-up bars or shops to help bring some life back into an underused town square. There will also be a brand-new restaurant built.
The money will come from multiple places, including £14 million from the government’s towns fund. Local councillors described the move as ‘exciting’, claiming that the plans will ‘deliver something that is really positive [for Lowestoft]’.
There’s no dates for the beginning of the project yet, but let’s hope this revamp can see this town return to its glory days someday soon. Watch this space for updates!
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