Lowestoft Town Council
Following the 49th annual service of remembrance for the Royal Naval Patrol Service, Lowestoft Town Council were honoured to bestow the 'Freedom of the Town' - the highest award it can honour - to the Royal Naval Patrol Service Association (RNPSA).
Speaking during the handing over of the award which took place at Sparrows Nest Gardens, the Mayor of Lowestoft, Cllr Nasima Begum said: "It is fitting that we are awarding the Freedom of the Town today in the shadow of the former RNPS Headquarters and its current museum and National Office. The title of Honorary Freedom of the Town celebrates the RNPSA's service to its members and its continued dedication to the town of Lowestoft."
The 'Freedom of the Town' is the highest honour that the Town Council can bestow on a person or organisation and is reserved for persons or organisations of distinction who are linked to Lowestoft and have rendered eminent services to the Town.
Nominations for the award of 'Freedom of the Town' are made by the public and considered by the Town Council. When awarded the 'Freedom of the Town', the title holder, or a representative from the organisation, is formally invited to attend all civic events organised by the Town Council.
Following extensive refurbishment, the public conveniences at the Historic Triangle Market were opened on 2nd October 2024 by Cllr Nasima Begum, Mayor of Lowestoft and Lowestoft Town Councillors.
This forms part of the ongoing project to regenerate the Triangle Market area following the recent removal of the Sails, addition of grassed areas around the trees and the installation of four new wooden kiosks to compliment the existing and refurbished kiosks.
The refurbished public conveniences include two unisex toilets, a disabled access toilet and the installation of a "living eco-roof".
Speaking at the official opening, Cllr Nasima Begum, Mayor of Lowestoft said: "It is my honour to mark the completion of this phase of the Triangle Market project. Lowestoft Town Council is committed to supporting the High Street and this area's ambition to be a thriving community for traders. Bringing these much-needed facilities back into public use completes the next stage in these plans.
"I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the works on the new kiosks and the refurbished public conveniences."
With these recent improvements, the Town Council is looking to promote the area and encourage new traders to hire the kiosks. The kiosks are available for pop-up, short-term and long-term use throughout the year with interested traders encouraged to contact the Town Council for further details.
The public conveniences will be open from 8am-4pm over the winter period, with extended hours of 8am-8pm over the summer months.
Read more on New Public Conveniences open as part of continued Triangle Market project
The Town Hall project has reached an important milestone – we have completed our stage 4 design drawings, and we are seeking contractors to undertake the main work.
Designs are firmed up in terms of what the Town Hall might look like. There are several features that will make the building feel very different to how it did decades ago, when residents turned up to pay their rates!
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. Our architects, HAT Projects, have incorporated the void between the old Town Hall from 1859 and the Compass Street extensions of 1899, to create ‘The Yard’: a thoroughfare that leads to the café, heritage gallery and events space, and generally says ‘Come on in!’ 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, where noone will be too precious about the floor/walls etc!
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.
At a practical level, the Town Hall will, of course, have several accessible toilets, but in addition, we are delighted that it will include a Changing Places room, which provides facilities for people with more complex needs. This will allow those who cannot use toilet facilities independently to still be able to visit and enjoy the building.
As noted at the outset, we are in the midst of the tender for the main construction contract. This is where we go out with our detailed designs and pricing documents, and invite contractors to bid for the work. We are pleased to have received several compliant bids for the work, but unfortunately, all exceed our budget.
Our design team has been reviewing designs to find ways to deliver the project more economically, and we have put a package together that has gone back out to the bidders for pricing. However, we know that although we will reduce costs, we will not bring them back in line with budget – there are too many complexities that cannot be eliminated, and a market that is seeing very high inflation across the board.
We have approached our funders, including the Heritage Fund and East Suffolk Council, to discuss the issue and are in the process of applying for uplifts from them. If necessary, Lowestoft Town Council will increase its Public Works Loan Board loan to £5m. This can still be repaid annually without in itself triggering a rise in Council Tax. This is something we promised during last year’s consultations, and we will keep that promise.
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.
Meanwhile, the heritage activity plan continues apace. Look out for lots of events, workshops, talks and activities that you can participate in as part of this exciting project.
It’s a long time in the making, but we know it will be worth the wait!
Today marks the start of Black History Month in the UK - a month of shining a light on the stories and history of Black individuals both in the UK and globally.
To mark Black History Month, Lowestoft Town Council is running its Creative Writing and Visual Arts Competition aligning with the national theme of "Reclaiming Narratives". The theme aims to honour our heroes, embrace our stories and empower and educate.
Throughout October, we'll be sharing some inspiring messages and quotes from local Black History Month ambassadors as inspiration for the competition.
Entries to the competition can be in many forms. Last year's competition saw over 700 entries with the winners using a variety of writing and art styles to celebrate their inspiring figure.
