A CASH injection of £500,000 was last night set to be given to the seafront area of Lowestoft to carry out improvement work.Plans for the esplanade, from the Hatfield Hotel to the southern end of Royal Green, include the replacement of uneven block paving, the demolition of the dome-shaped shelters and large planters to create more space, and the introduction of new lighting columns.

A CASH injection of £500,000 was last night set to be given to the seafront area of Lowestoft to carry out improvement work.

Plans for the esplanade, from the Hatfield Hotel to the southern end of Royal Green, include the replacement of uneven block paving, the demolition of the dome-shaped shelters and large planters to create more space, and the introduction of new lighting columns.

Waveney District Council also wants to carry out further work to bolster the rock breakwater at Children's Corner, in a bid to reduce the erosion of the beach, and deal with missing or broken railings.

Last night, members of the council's executive committee were being asked to allow £162,000 earmarked for an aborted seafront regeneration scheme last year to be allocated to the new project.

A further £70,000 has been secured from the Lowestoft Together community group while a bid for £300,000 in European funding is under consideration.

Paul Moss, the council's principal manager for economic regeneration, said that as well as improving the overall look of the area, the work to remove the shelters would prevent anti-social behaviour by reducing the attraction for troublemakers to congregate there.”

He added: “We know there is a fear of crime for people who use the area, so we will look to remove those areas where people will congregate.

“It is part of our seafront area, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of people during the year. What we want to do is create a focal point to encourage people to use the beach.”

Last summer, ambitious plans to regenerate a large part of the seafront area had to be shelved after a bid to raise nearly £5m failed. The two-and-a-half year project would have revamped the promenade between the South Pier and Pakefield, restoring the gardens, beach chalets and other seafront facilities.

Mr Moss admitted the latest project only represented a fraction of the previous scheme, but said it could set the scene for future work along the rest of the promenade.

If the funding is secured in the near future, it is hoped that work will start before Easter with the work continuing after the bank holiday period.

However, Mr Moss said issues surrounding the tendering process for contractors also needed to be ironed out before the project could begin.

“There are a few hurdles, but we are doing everything we can,” he added.