A heritage group which criticised Lowestoft's new £52.7m council headquarters has vowed to work together with planners to improve the design.The Suffolk Preservation Society branded the project “a glorified shed” earlier this month and called for a rethink.

A heritage group which criticised Lowestoft's new £52.7m council headquarters has vowed to work together with planners to improve the design.

The Suffolk Preservation Society branded the project “a glorified shed” earlier this month and called for a rethink.

But now chairman Mike Coleman has said he will work alongside the Waveney Campus partners to ensure the plans are attractive and environmentally sustain-able.

The new building on the banks of Lake Lothing will house 1,000 staff from Waveney District Council, Suffolk County Council and the Cefas marine laboratory, if planning permission is granted.

Mr Coleman said that the Suffolk Preservation Society wants to work alongside the district council across the board.

He said: “What we're really about now is trying to raise the standards of design across the county. We would like to work with all the district councils to do this.

“I have said before that I think the design is pretty soulless and could be much better but we want to work with the planners to put our views across.”

A spokesman for the Waveney Campus partners said: “We have already agreed with the Suffolk Preservation Society that we should work together where we can, communicate with each other and pursue opportunities for productive dialogue. Waveney District Council welcomes any constructive working relationships which can provide genuine benefit for the district as a whole.”

An exhibition of the plans and designs is currently on display at Lowestoft Library, where it remains until Friday. It will be at the East Point Pavilion restaurant from Monday, January 21, to Sunday, 27, and then at the Town Hall from Monday, January 28, until March 1.