A scheme to bring an "iconic" grade II listed building back into public use has been hailed as "exciting" by a town mayor.

It comes after a vision was unveiled this week for the "restoration and extension" of the historic town hall site in Lowestoft.

Plans to revitalise the grade II listed Town Hall in Lowestoft - which has been vacant and unoccupied since spring 2015 - have been submitted.

Applications for listed building consent and full planning permission have been lodged for the landmark building, which has been owned by Lowestoft Town Council (LTC) since 2017.

The two schemes - currently "awaiting decision" with East Suffolk Council - centre around "restoration and extension of the Grade II listed Lowestoft Town Hall, to form a heritage hub, café, gallery, community event space, town council office and registrar offices."

Of the plans, Mayor of Lowestoft and town councillor Sonia Barker, said: "It is great to see this exciting scheme to bring this iconic, historic building back into public use moving forward as we await the planning decision.

"I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to getting us to this point, from the public who have responded to our consultations, to the designers and architects and our funders."

As part of the Lowestoft Town Hall Project - a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, The Towns Fund and East Suffolk Council - the aim is to restore the prominent building on the High Street in Lowestoft "bringing the Town Hall back into use as the communal and civic heart of Lowestoft’s life."

A heritage, design and access statement lodged by agents HAT Projects states: "The proposal has been carefully detailed and designed to extend the life of the heritage asset and future-proof it for coming generations, through repairs of structural and other degraded fabric, energy efficiency improvements, restoration and conservation of historic features, and the extension to create functional and accessible space for all parts of the community to use."