A council's customer services base is set to be relocated from the town centre where it has stood for 15 years.
East Suffolk Town Council is moving its customer services from the Marina Centre, in Lowestoft, less than half a mile away to the town's library, which could cost £165,000, after plans were approved by its cabinet on Tuesday (May 8).
The move is to make way for the town's Cultural Quarter regeneration project, which will transform the the Marina Centre and former Battery Green multi-storey car park into a new cultural and community hub, with studio space for creative businesses, a leisure complex and restaurant.
The project is one of five major regeneration projects made possible by a successful application for £24.9m of funding from the government's Towns Fund back in 2020.
The council's customer services team have operated out of the Marina Centre since 2009, and the £165,000 cost of the move will be funded through reserves.
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Councillor Paul Ashton, East Suffolk Council's cabinet member for assets and corporate services, said: “We’re committed to providing a walk-in capability across the district, and it’s important that we maintain a front-facing customer services desk for the public to use while work commences on the Cultural Quarter development.
“We considered several alternative locations, including outside the town centre, however Lowestoft Library offers a cost-effective opportunity for the service in the heart of East Suffolk’s largest town.”
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Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries, said: “This move will offer the local community an enhanced service that combines the diversity of the Suffolk Libraries offer alongside information and advice provided by East Suffolk Council.
“Similar partnerships involving co-located services in our libraries have worked well, bringing new people to the library and raising awareness of the huge range of services we offer.”
Relocation to the library will now take place ahead of demolition works which will begin in September.
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