A wide-ranging group of leaders from a range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations has come together to help Lowestoft secure a funding pot of up to £25 million to regenerate and re-energise the town – and local people are also being asked for their views.

Following an announcement by the Government last year of a £3.6 billion Towns Fund, 101 UK places including Lowestoft are seeking to negotiate a ‘Towns Deal’ which would drive economic regeneration and help them become thriving places for people to live and work.

As part of that process, each town is required by The Ministry for Housing, Communities and local Government to develop a well-evidenced ‘Town Investment Plan’, which sets out its assets, opportunities and challenges. The amount of investment that Lowestoft receives from the Towns Fund will be determined by the strength of the Investment Plan presented to the Government. However, the plan will

Therefore, led by East Suffolk Council, the Lowestoft Place Board has been created to “think Lowestoft” and drive forward the town’s growth and regeneration ambitions. It will be the vehicle through which the vision and strategy for Lowestoft is defined and the Board will ultimately produce the Town Investment Plan, seeking to secure as much funding as possible for the town.

It will provide a strategic, place-led view and – above and beyond the Towns Fund – it will be the central, driving force for the promotion and development of Lowestoft locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

A critical priority for the Board will be local engagement and East Suffolk Council, who are the lead authority for the scheme, will begin important and constructive conversations with businesses, key partners, community groups and residents about the future of the town. Partnership working to develop the investment plan will be a clear priority. Work on this will begin immediately, ahead of the delivery of a final plan in Summer 2020.

Information about the investment scheme and how local people can take part can be found here: https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/lowestoft-investment-plan/

Local people can begin to provide their ideas by going to: https://mytown.communities.gov.uk/town/lowestoft/

Work to develop the plan will focus on five key geographical areas: Southern Lake Lothing, inner and Outer Harbour, Town Centre, the Norther Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone and South Beach. The key themes for improvement will be Housing, Employment, Town Centre & Leisure, Heritage & Culture and Transport & Infrastructure.

Having lived in Lowestoft all his life, Stephen Javes, Former Chief Executive of Orwell Housing Group, has been appointed Chair of the Place Board. He said: “We have been given a fantastic opportunity to secure considerable investment for Lowestoft. As someone from the town, I am very proud of our amazing communities and the people who deserve a town to be proud of. I know that a wide range of organisations are committed to making this happen and I am genuinely excited about working with them all.

Cllr Craig Rivett, Deputy Leader of East Suffolk Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Development said: “A huge amount of work is already underway, with considerable investment already committed to infrastructure projects such as the third crossing, flood protection schemes and the offshore energy sector. Lowestoft is definitely a town on the up and access to this funding will make a huge difference to our ability to take the town further forward. We will be pulling out all the stops to make this happen.”