A new year looks set to mark the next step forward in the transformation of a historic town hall site.
The grade II listed Town Hall in Lowestoft has been vacant and unoccupied since spring 2015.
But a brighter future is in the pipeline as a scheme progresses to revitalise the landmark building, which has been owned by Lowestoft Town Council (LTC) since 2017.
With designs being put out for the public to view, work on securing the next stage of funding is set to start.
People will be able to engage with the Town Hall plans with a chance to see the designs and meet architects from HAT Projects, which is leading the design work, as two public meetings are held next weekend.
Taking place on Friday, January 20 from 2pm to 5pm, and Saturday, January 21 from 10am to 4pm at The Grit Arts Centre in Lowestoft, the project team and town councillors will be attending alongside the architects to answer any questions you have.
The designs will also be available for people to view online, at local libraries and community centres as the project updates plans which have been heavily influenced by the public consultation in 2021.
Back then, almost 1,000 people in Lowestoft shared their thoughts on how a restored Town Hall could be used with a community focus - with a café, museum and heritage hub all mooted.
A town council spokesman said: "Alongside the desire for the Town Hall to be the home for Lowestoft Town Council, the initial public consultation also had the majority of replies wanting Lowestoft’s heritage to be celebrated within the Town Hall.
"To enable this, the Project Team recently appointed People Landscapes and Buildings Ltd (PLB Ltd) as interpretation consultants to implement a compelling and interactive heritage experience within the planned Heritage Gallery and other areas in the redeveloped Town Hall.
"PLB Ltd will be working with Project Team to consult and engage local heritage experts, museums, volunteers, families, schools and communities with the concept designs to inform how they develop."
With numerous heritage engagement activities held in 2022 - including heritage open days, new graffiti artwork created for the Mariner Street window hoardings and the Your Lowestoft Memories in collaboration with Poetry People that will be collated and turned into a video poem - future activities are earmarked for this year.
Community artist Genevieve Rudd will be delivering free creative workshops inspired by the Town Hall while three students from East Coast College's Art and Design course will be curating their own exhibits.
A 'crucial' year
Mayor of Lowestoft, Alan Green, said: "2023 is such an important year for the Town Hall project with the next stage of applying for funding taking place in May.
"I have been pleased with the amount of engagement and enthusiasm that the people of Lowestoft have for this project.
"Your input is vital for the future of this project during this crucial year."
A town council spokesman added: "If the Stage 2 funding is approved, the Town Hall Project Team will continue with their aim of having the Town Hall open in Summer/Autumn 2025."
The Lowestoft Town Hall Project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Towns Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic England and East Suffolk Council.
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