Lowestoft Town Council
Please note that all tennis courts at Normanston Park and Kensington Gardens are currently closed due to dangerous surface conditions. Lowestoft Town Council are embarking on a programme of court refurbishments in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association with work taking place in early 2024.
As part of the Town Council's commitment to free tennis for all, the courts at Denes Oval (which are usually closed during the winter) will be open seven-days a week from 9am-3pm (some restrictions may apply due to coaching sessions, particularly on a Tuesday morning, and club competitions). Please note that there are no public conveniences on site with the nearest conveniences at Sparrows Nest Gardens.
IMPORTANT
During the winter months these courts may become slippery. Please make your own judgement whether it is safe to play. Lowestoft Town Council reserve the right to close all courts at short notice.
"'Tis the season to be jolly!"
Lowestoft Town Hall receives planning permission from East Suffolk Council.
At the meeting of East Suffolk Council’s Planning Committee North on 14th November 2023, planning permission was unanimously granted for the regeneration of the iconic Town Hall in Lowestoft’s High Street. Permission for the listed building consent was also approved unanimously by the Committee.
Speaking at the Planning Committee North meeting, Cllr Sarah Plummer, Chair of the Planning Committee North said, “there is some very exciting work going on here and we are all looking forward to seeing where it all ends up”.
The amount of work that was put into the planning applications by all involved was also praised by the Committee.
With planning permission agreed, the process of regenerating the Town Hall is now a step further along. With around £6million of external funding already secured, the Town Council are currently running a consultation on proposals to take out a £4million Public Works Loan to complete the funding. The consultation survey is open until 19th November with members of the public able to complete the survey and read the supporting information online.
The Lowestoft Town Hall Project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported 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.
Lowestoft Town Council is looking to appoint an experienced and qualified Quantity Surveyor / Cost Consultant to support Lowestoft Town Council in the redevelopment of Lowestoft Town Hall from RIBA Workstage 4 -7.
The Grade II listed Lowestoft Town Hall will be refurbished and extended to become a multi-functioning heritage and community space, with elements of commercial activity that contribute to its ongoing financial sustainability and support economic regeneration of the area. The project is supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council, as well as Lowestoft Town Council itself.
Bids are sought from cost consultants with experience of working on large heritage restoration and extension projects, particularly those supported by the Heritage Fund.
The Council is simultaneously procuring a Contract Administrator for the project. Bidders for the QS role are welcome to bid for the CA role too. The Council reserves the right to appoint either separately or combined. Please refer to LTH2023/CA for details.
Full details can be obtained by contacting Lowestoft Town Council via email admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
All bids should be received by Monday 4th December at 1pm.
Read more on Town Hall Project - Quantity Surveying/Cost Consultant Services
Lowestoft Town Council is looking to appoint an experienced and qualified Contract Administrator to support Lowestoft Town Council in the redevelopment of Lowestoft Town Hall from RIBA Workstage 4 -7.
The Grade II listed Lowestoft Town Hall will be refurbished and extended to become a multi-functioning heritage and community space, with elements of commercial activity that contribute to its ongoing financial sustainability and support economic regeneration of the area. The project is supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council, as well as Lowestoft Town Council itself.
Bids are sought from contract administrators with experience of working on large heritage restoration and extension projects, particularly those supported by the Heritage Fund.
The Council is simultaneously procuring a Quantity Surveyor for the project. Bidders for the CA role are welcome to bid for the QS role too. The Council reserves the right to appoint either separately or combined. Please refer to LTH2023/QSCC for details.
Full details can be obtained by contacting Lowestoft Town Council via email admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
All bids should be received by Monday 4th December at 1pm.
Read more on Town Hall Project - Contract Administration Services
On Remembrance Sunday (Sunday 12November) the annual Remembrance Parade and Service, organised by Lowestoft Town Council, will be taking place at the War Memorial on Royal Plain, starting shortly before 11am.
The Parade, led by soldiers of F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery, 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, will begin from Claremont Pier and enter Royal Plain shortly before the service begins.
The two-minutes silence at 11am will then be marked by the sound of gun fire from the 105mm (L118) Light Gun from F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery, 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. Members of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets from the Royal Air Force Air Cadets 469 (Lowestoft) Squadron will call the order of wreath laying at the War Memorial, led by the Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston.
Music for the service will be provided by East Coast Sinfonietta with readings provided by pupils from local schools.
All are welcome to attend the service. The service sheet is available to download for people wishing to attend.
East Suffolk Council have arranged for free parking to take place between 8am and 1pm on Sunday 13 November in Royal Green, Claremont Pier, Kirkley Cliff, Clifton Road, Belvedere Road and Britten Centre car parks.
Lowestoft Town Council have also organised three opportunities for people to mark Armistice Day on Saturday 11 November. The services, taking place at the War Memorial on Royal Plain, Lowestoft Cemetery and at Belle Vue Park, will each take place shortly before 11am. All are welcome to attend these short services which will include the two-minutes silence.
Friday 3rd November saw a packed-out awards ceremony for this year’s Black History Month Creative Writing and Visual Arts Competition.
This year’s competition was the biggest yet in the three years that Lowestoft Town Council have marked Black History Month with over 740 submissions from young people in Lowestoft which celebrated people who were inspiring and made them proud.
The creative writing competition saw a range of poetry, diary entries, short stories and songs celebrating the likes of Marcus Rashford, Rosa Parks and Mae Jemison. The visual arts competition included collages, scratch art and clay sculptures depicting the likes of Muhammed Ali, Ruby Bridges and Beyonce and inspired by the creative styles of Ruth Asawa and Augusta Savage.
The judges were delighted with the high number of entries and the quality of all the submissions with the judges agreeing to award the winner and two runners-up in the “Years 3-6” and “Years 2 and Under” age categories for both competitions.
In the Visual Arts Years 2 and Under category, the winner and runners-up were Jessica (Gunton Primary), Dallas (Dell Primary) and Dolcie (Roman Hill), with the Years 3-6 winners and runners-up being Isabella (Dell Primary), Lola-Mae (Phoenix St Peter) and Ayla (Pakefield Primary).
In the Creative Writing Years 2 and Under category, the winner and runners-up were Brody (Dell Primary), Blossom (Roman Hill) and Jasmine (Roman Hill), with the Years 3-6 winners and runners-up being Savannah (Dell Primary), Sophia (Roman Hill) and Maggie (Oulton Broad Primary).
The judges also awarded prizes in each competition to schools who demonstrated a particular dedication to supporting Black History Month. The creative writing shield was awarded to Dell Primary School for the second year in a row whilst the new visual arts shield was awarded to Phoenix St Peter’s for the wide range of art styles submitted and for their whole school display.
Speaking at the awards, Cllr Sonia Barker, Mayor of Lowestoft, said “It was wonderful to have such a great response to our Black History Month competition this year and such a high quality of entries. We had a tough time judging the competition with the number of entries received! Thank you to everyone who took part, from the students to the teachers and parents, and made this year’s competition the best yet and congratulations to all the winners.”
Mr Glen Joyce, Assistant Headteacher for Dell Primary said “It is an honour to once again receive the school prize for Creative Writing. I would like to thank all our students who took part and displayed their writing talents as part of this year’s competition. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition!”
On collecting the Visual Arts Award, Mrs Terri Freeman, Deputy Head of Pheonix St Peter’s, said “We are thrilled to receive the first ever Visual Arts School Award on behalf of the remarkable artists at Phoenix St Peter Academy. This acknowledgment extends beyond artistic talent—it reflects the values embedded in our school and resonates across our academy trust. During Black History Month, and throughout the year we contemplate the diverse tapestry of cultures, histories, and 
contributions shaping our world. At Phoenix St Peter, our commitment to inclusion and diversity is a living principle helped by our shared definition: 'realizing the greatness in our differences.'”
The awards ceremony included a chance to view all the entries, a live music performance from Anna Mudeka and a video thank you message from Olympian Boxer Anthony Ogogo.
A selection of the winning entries can be viewed via this link.
Read more on Lowestoft Town Council's Black History Month Competition 2023 Celebrated
