£4.8m arts hub vision for former Post Office in Lowestoft

A new £4.8m creative hub will be unveiled in the landmark Grade II listed building in Lowestoft town centre.

An important milestone was marked as planning permission was granted for the former post office on London Road North - which has been vacant and unoccupied since 2018 - to be transformed into a gallery, six new artist studios, classroom space and a new café.

East Suffolk Council’s planning committee north has unanimously voted in favour of two schemes - centring around applications for listed building consent and full planning permission - that will transform the building, owned by East Suffolk, into an arts venue.

With the building bought by East Suffolk to help kickstart regeneration in the town centre, funding from both the Towns Fund and the council will enable it to come back into use.

Restoration works were completed on the façade of the former Post Office last year, as part of the London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone, funded by Historic England and the Towns Fund.

Genevieve Christie, chief executive officer of the First Light Festival, with the Chthonic Head on Lowestoft south beach. Picture: Mick Howes (Image: Mick Howes)

The Post Office, which will be managed by Messums East, will provide a working studio for sculptor Laurence Edwards, who created the Chthonic Head that was temporarily installed on Lowestoft’s South Beach last summer as part of First Light Festival.

Mr Edwards will be working to create a large-scale bronze landmark sculpture for the town.

Visualisations for the former Post Office site in Lowestoft. A South East View and North East View. Picture: Chaplin Farrant (Image: Chaplin Farrant)

Within the Post Office, there will also be space for a revolving residency of international, national and regional artists, as well as exhibition spaces, a screening room and café with outdoor seating.

In the coming weeks, the council will appoint a main contractor to undertake the works with the aim of starting construction from July.

The works are expected to take a year to complete, ahead of opening from Autumn 2025.

'An exciting project'

At the meeting, Cllr Paul Ashdown said: "It’s something that the town desperately needs — it will bring this building back into use."

Speaking afterwards, Toby Hammond, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport, said: “This is an exciting project which will transform a historic empty building into a landmark arts venue, attracting more people to the town and bring real benefits for the local community."