Ambitious plans that would deliver three landmark buildings as part of a multi-million pound town centre transformation look set to be given the green light.
A new restaurant, café, a civic square, pop up bars and leisure uses are all earmarked among the comprehensive £24.3m regeneration of Lowestoft town centre.
With a scheme proposed to create a new cultural quarter for Lowestoft, revamp plans are being earmarked for approval.
Plans will be voted on at an extraordinary meeting of East Suffolk Council's planning committee north this Friday, May 24 with councillors being told planning officers recommend approval of the proposed development, subject to conditions.
It comes after Lowestoft was awarded £24.9m from the government's £3.6bn Towns Fund in 2021 for five key projects in the heart of the town - with one of these regeneration schemes a new Cultural Quarter.
This Cultural Quarter project - which is earmarked as costing £24.3m, with £14.3m from the government's Towns Fund and £10m from East Suffolk Council's Capital Fund - will see the existing Battery Green car park partly demolished along with the demolition of the Marina Centre building's north wing.
A scheme centring around "Part demolition of the existing Battery Green car park and northern wing of the Marina Centre building, realignment of Marina road, the erection of a new circulation core in the retained car park area," is set to be discussed.
The application for Battery Green car park and surrounding land on Marina Road in Lowestoft includes: "Change of use of partially retained car park to competitive leisure use" as well as "New cultural building consisting of single and two storey elements, containing multi use hall, lobby, café, studio spaces, plant areas, restaurant and first floor multi use space" and "Externally providing new soft and hard landscaping with external lighting scheme to create new linkages and new public realm."
Design and access and planning statements were lodged by agents Chaplin Farrant on behalf of the applicant East Suffolk Council, with the plans validated in December.
It comes after "minor amendments" to the plans were made in March and April, around "the highway, drainage and landscaping".
Jobs to be created
With the proposed site measuring "approximately 1.20 hectares (2.96 acres)", a planning report to councillors states: "Collectively, the various elements of the proposal would create a new cultural quarter for Lowestoft by introducing a range of uses with a focus on cultural facilities and competitive leisure, alongside an ancillary food and drink offering.
"Overall, the proposal would represent a mixed-use development.
"New development would take the form of two new landmark buildings, connected via a covered walkway; the realignment of Marina (Road); a new public realm, in the form of a civic square and a central corridor connecting Marina to Gordon Road; and the refurbishment and change of use of the retained elements of the Battery Green car park and Marina Centre."
The proposed development is earmarked to "complement and enhance the existing town centre offering", with "the creation of construction jobs and approximately 74 new full-time jobs during the operation phase."
It adds: "One of the main aims of the project is to increase footfall and encourage dwell time within the town centre."
With four letters of representation "neither objecting to, nor supporting the planning application", it concludes: "The proposed development would regenerate a previously developed, underutilised, unattractive, allocated site to deliver three landmark buildings, comprising two new buildings and a repurposed car park, as part of a high-quality and comprehensive scheme which would enhance the amenity and cultural offering of the town centre, in addition to introducing a new competitive leisure offering."
With the partial demolition of the Battery Green car park building "already permitted under prior approval application", the recommendation is for "Authority to approve" with 34 conditions.
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