A key building in the history of a coastal town has received a further funding boost.
East Suffolk Council has this week pledged £900,000 investment as part of a project to restore and revitalise Lowestoft’s historic Town Hall.
This further funding boost comes a week after the Lowestoft Town Hall Project received £3,257,512 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
East Suffolk council's cabinet agreed the £900,000 investment at a meeting on Tuesday, after building owner and project leader, Lowestoft Town Council, requested a financial contribution towards the redevelopment - which forms part of the Lowestoft Town Investment Plan and the Towns Fund programme.
The funding will boost plans - which were lodged with East Suffolk Council in May and are currently "awaiting decision" - to transform the vacant High Street building into a multi-functional community space, containing a Heritage Gallery, café, community event space and town council offices.
The landmark building was previously occupied by the former Waveney District Council until 2015, when operations moved to new Riverside offices, and was transferred to owners Lowestoft Town Council in 2017.
East Suffolk has already provided support in developing the project plan and bidding for additional external funding, which included an allocation of £2m in Towns Fund investment as part of the overall £24.9m Lowestoft’s Town Deal awarded in 2022.
Toby Hammond, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport, said: "We are delighted to be able to agree this further investment in the Lowestoft Town Hall regeneration project, which promises to maintain the listed building’s character, while greatly increasing its uses and maximising sustainability."
Sonia Barker, Mayor of Lowestoft, said: "I am delighted that East Suffolk Council are supporting the regeneration of the Town Hall.
"Thank you to East Suffolk Council for their financial support and for other resources provided to date.”
The funding will be provided from East Suffolk Council’s Business Rate Equalisation Reserve.
The project also received a development grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund and formed part of the North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone project, which ran between 2018 and 2023.
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