Wish you were here!

That’s the important message showcased on one of almost 60 new “vibrant” designs that have brought new life to an area of vacant land that previously had hoardings up around it.

Work has been almost completed on a new photographic installation that celebrates Lowestoft’s cultural activities and heritage.

Celebrating the cultural work of local organisations and individuals, FlipSide has produced a 180-metre photographic installation around land at the back of the old Town Hall at Compass Street, Mariners Street and Jubilee Way in Lowestoft.

As plans for the site are developed, more than 50 new artwork panels – which features stunning photos and poems from schoolchildren – have transformed the land around a former work site that has been vacant for more than three years.

The panels have been printed and then installed on the site by SPP Digital Ltd.

Work had previously stopped on the site of the first proposed Burger King drive-through restaurant in Lowestoft in May 2017.

It came after work to develop the fast food restaurant had begun in late 2016 on the site of the historic Coopers biscuit factory, off Jubilee Way in Lowestoft.

But the development was stopped in May 2017 after the franchisee due to be managing the site went into administration.

Previously, East Suffolk Council had earmarked housing for this site in the future.

But with this new large-scale installation being funded by an allocation from the Government’s Towns Fund, it is screening the perimeter of the proposed new car park area until this site comes forward for development next year.

This project is the final part of the three-year Making Waves Together project and the Great Places Scheme, which is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Historic England and East Suffolk Council.

Designed by Suffolk-based brand design agency Yellobelly, the artwork celebrates Lowestoft’s coastal environment, historic town centre and the North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) programme which aims to kick-start regeneration.

The installation sits behind the former Town Hall, which has recently received a grant from Architectural Heritage Fund to develop a business case to attract large sale investment to restore and bring the building back into community use.

Speaking before the panels had been installed, Genevieve Christie, FlipSide director, said: “It’s wonderful to see a large-scale installation like this showcasing so many of the high-quality cultural activities that have been taking place in Lowestoft through a vibrant design of fantastic photographs.”