The £10m transformation of a historic town hall site has reached an important milestone.

Restoration and extension of the Grade II listed Lowestoft Town Hall "to form a heritage hub, café, gallery, community event space, Town Council office, and registrar offices" was given the go-ahead in November last year.

Owned by Lowestoft Town Council since 2017, the landmark Town Hall in Lowestoft has been vacant and unoccupied since spring 2015.

With plans unanimously approved by East Suffolk Council last year, works were earmarked to start earlier this year, with the reopening proposed for late 2025.

But now, the Lowestoft Town Hall Project - a Lowestoft Town Council initiative, supported through National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund, other significant funders for the regeneration include Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council - has reached a vital phase.

For designs have had to be reviewed and funders approached once more, after tenders for the main construction contract exceeded budget.

Town Hall Project Manager, Sheila Moss King, said: "We have completed our stage 4 design drawings, and we are seeking contractors to undertake the main work."

With the detailed designs completed, Mrs Moss King added: "There are several features that will make the building feel very different to how it did decades ago.

"Firstly, we are knocking down the wall that faces you as you go in the main doors.

"For years, this has made the building feel like somewhere local people were not really welcome."

With architects, HAT Projects, incorporating the void between the old Town Hall from 1859 and the Compass Street extensions of 1899, it will see 'The Yard' created.

This will be "a thoroughfare that leads to the café, heritage gallery and events space, and generally says 'Come on in!'" Mrs Moss King said.

"Along the Yard we will have exhibition cases built into the walls, displaying the civic artefacts and other items from the town.   

"There will be lots of spaces for the public to use, including smaller meeting rooms and the big events space.

"A messy room will double up as somewhere to run creative workshops alongside a suitable place for youth groups to use.

"Meanwhile, all the historic features of the building will be restored, including the stained-glass windows, the council chamber itself, the clock faces and all the colourful encaustic tiled floors."

'Worth the wait'

As well as several accessible toilets, a Changing Places room - which provides facilities for people with more complex needs - will also feature.

With tenders having gone out for contractors to bid for the work to create a multi-use hub, "several compliant bids" have been received for the works but these have all exceeded the budget.   

This has led to designs being reviewed and funders - including the Heritage Fund and East Suffolk Council - being approached.

Mrs Moss King said: "If all goes to plan, and the additional funds are secured, we would hope to appoint a contractor at the end of this year, and to complete the work by late Spring/Summer 2026.   

"It’s a long time in the making, but we know it will be worth the wait!"