Lowestoft Town Hall
Lowestoft Town Hall
We produced a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for this Grade II listed former town hall, to inform its conversion and future redevelopment as a community hub.
Like many coastal towns on England’s east coast, Lowestoft has been impacted by the decline of the fishing and tourism industries, further compounded in Lowestoft by insensitive post-war traffic management.
The Italianate town hall dates from the 1850s and 1900s, and is the latest incarnation of municipal buildings on the site dating back to around 1300. The building was vacated by Waveney District Council in 2015, but is now the subject of a National Lottery Heritage Fund application led by the newly-formed Lowestoft Town Council with support from Historic England through the Heritage Action Zone programme.
We produced a CMP for the town hall, identifying the heritage significance of the elements of the building and providing management recommendations for its future management and refurbishment. Our work has informed emerging design proposals by Richard Griffiths Architects and HAT Projects to revive the Grade II listed building as a centre for community activity, with a café, meeting rooms, a multi-use hall, a gallery and heritage interpretation.
When complete, the project will bring back activities and breathe new life into the old high street, accelerating the heritage-led regeneration of this deeply historic town and fulfilling the aims of the Heritage Action Zone programme.
In 2023, the project was awarded a £3.2m delivery grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, allowing work to begin.
Client Lowestoft Town Council/Historic England