Seaside town named among UK's most affordable places to live set for huge £6million waterfront revamp
Rising costs and delays rule out opening of restaurant and cafe complex in time for Victorian town's world famous summer solstice festival
MAJOR REVAMP Seaside town named among UK's most affordable places to live set for huge £6million waterfront revamp
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A SEASIDE town named as one of the most affordable places to live in the UK is set to get a brand new £6m waterfront revamp.
The beachside project is set to include a two-storey restaurant and cafe area.
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Lowestoft is home to the popular First Lights Festival, a 24-hour beach arts event, which celebrates the UK's first sunrise
Credit: Alamy
Jubilee Parade will also include three new leisure concession units, public toilets and changing facilities.
A new lift will also be installed to improve access to the seafront for beach-goers with mobility issues and pushchairs.
It comes as a recent report by property portal Zoopla highlighted Lowestoft, in Suffolk, as one of the most affordable places to live in the UK.
Zoopla found that 80% of towns in the south of England now have average prices more than four times household income.
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An artist's impression of the new seafront cafe and restaurant complex in Lowestoft
Wisbech in Cambridgeshire is the only town in the south of England with prices below three times income while Lowestoft, Wisbeth, Great Yarmouth and Peterborough were among the most affordable towns.
The £6 million waterfront revamp is expected to make the town even more attractive to homebuyers – though it's been a lengthy process with completion of the project now expected 'later this year' following delays in the tendering process.
The delays also mean the project will not be completed in time for the popular First Light Festival in the town, which celebrates the summer solstice in June.
The quaint seaside town holds an interesting claim to fame as it's the first place in the UK to see sunrise each morning.
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Ness Point in Lowestoft is the most easterly point in the UK
Credit: Alamy
The beach town is home to Ness Point, the UK's most easterly point.
Overlooking the sea, Ness Point is marked by a large metal plate on the ground.
Deck chairs are often spotted along the promenade, with visitors travelling throughout the night during the summer solstice to watch the sunrise.
The redevelopment of facilities comes after East Suffolk Council was awarded £4.3 million through the Government's Levelling Up Fund in March 2023.
A further £600,000 investment from East Suffolk Council's capital programme pushed the total cost of the project to just below £5 million.
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The seaside town is home to all the usual seaside attractions such as a Victorian-style pavilion and several beaches
Credit: Alamy
With planning permission granted early last year, the project - which forms the third phase of the Jubilee Parade vision, with the development to complement the Eastern Edge beach huts next to it - started in April last year.
It saw the existing 1930s structures on Jubilee Parade demolished, with the promenade extended onto the beach, as Sunrise at Zak's relocated to a temporary building nearby and temporary toilets were installed.
This first phase of works was completed last summer.
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Lowestoft's South Pier and Triton statue are popular with locals and tourists
The second phase of the project - involving the construction of the main building - was initially expected to start in June last year, and expected to be completed by Spring 2025.
But with delays in the tendering process for the second phase and increased costs - which has seen the total cost of the overall scheme now reach £6 million - work started around three months later in September.
This has now pushed the overall timeframe for completion of the second phase back.
This week the council said that while "funding for the entire project has been secured," and it "remains scheduled for completion later this year," it will not however be complete by the time the First Light Festival opens in June.
The up-and-coming English seaside town with cheap booze and huge beaches
A council spokesman said: "The first phase of construction was completed last summer, with some beach huts moved to create space for temporary toilets and cafe to be installed.
"The existing structures were demolished, and the promenade extended onto the beach.
"After a pause for the summer season, the second phase of construction began in the autumn last year and remains scheduled for completion later this year.
"So far, the second phase of work has focused on engineering works to secure the site, including foundations and piling.
"These works are progressing well."
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Attractions in Lowestoft include this seafront train that runs near the Pavilion
Credit: Alamy
The council said the lift will connect the Upper Esplanade with the Lower Promenade, providing access to the restaurant space and first floor Eastern Edge beach huts.
The council spokesman added: "Work on the structure of the building will begin upon completion of the ground works.
"The new complex will greatly improve the facilities on offer at this part of the seafront and will also increase seafront access for everyone, and we are looking forward to its completion later this year.
"We have seen increased costs however funding is secured for the entire £6m project.
"In August last year, the council took the decision to reallocate funding from the railway station project to provide further support for key Lowestoft regeneration projects, including Jubilee Parade.
"The construction will not be complete by the time of the First Light Festival, but will be completed later in the year."
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