Lowestoft's heritage action zones

Two heritage action zones protect and celebrate the town’s rich architecture, history and culture; set standards for future development; and involve the local community.

The ground-floor fenestration of the former Post Office has been restored to its original appearance.

Lowestoft, the UK’s most easterly point, is known for its golden sands, rich heritage and emerging cultural scene. The town is one of only seven places in the country to benefit from two heritage action zones (HAZs): the North Lowestoft HAZ, covering the historic high street, scores and former fishing village; and the London Road, Lowestoft HAZ, covering the Victorian town, seaside resort and the commercial area of Kirkley.

It is an exciting time for Lowestoft, and the heritage action zones are part of the current regeneration projects taking place in the town. Current investment in Lowestoft totals over £312 million, including £24.9 million from the government’s Towns Fund, £96 million in flood defences and over £126 million invested in the Gull Wing Third Crossing. The scale of investment and regeneration reflects Lowestoft’s ambition, and heritage is a key thread of East Suffolk Council’s commitment to revitalising the town.

Heritage action zones are heritage-led regeneration schemes funded by Historic England and local partners, in this case East Suffolk Council. They use funding to improve the appearance and condition of buildings, repairing traditional detailing, reinstating lost architectural features and bringing vacant buildings back into use. The main thread of the heritage action zones involves offering grants to historic property owners to improve the appearance of their buildings. Traditional building repairs and techniques are at the heart of HAZ-funded projects. Building archaeology, evidence from historic photographs and archival documents are used to inform how buildings looked before later alterations, and help to inform designs for reinstatement schemes.

Across the two Lowestoft HAZs, over £800,000 of funding has been awarded to 27 private buildings/units for a range of projects, drawing in over £450,000 of match funding contributions from owners. Works funded have included the repair of original sash windows; redecoration of buildings using breathable, mineral-based paints; commissioning traditional sign-writing for shopfronts; replacing modern UPVC casements with traditional sliding sash windows; completing repairs to masonry and stone; reinstating traditional cast-iron rainwater goods; repairing roofs and chimneys; reinstating traditional shopfronts; and rebuilding a collapsed flint wall.

The flagship scheme in the London Road, Lowestoft HAZ is conservation repairs to the Grade II listed former Post Office, purchased by East Suffolk Council in 2017. The Post Office, designed as a single-storey building in the 1880s, was the first dedicated Post Office in Lowestoft, replacing operations which were previously taking place in postmasters’ houses. The building was extended to provide a first floor around the turn of the century, and a second floor around 1909.

The building suffered from a series of unsympathetic alterations in the 20th century, including re-roofing with asbestos tiles; replacing the ground-floor timber sashes with aluminium windows; and removing the original entrance door and relocating it to the side of the facade. Funding was made available through the HAZ and Towns Fund to reverse these inappropriate alterations, and extensive conservation works to the exterior of the building started on site in January 2022.

The funding has allowed the roof to be reinstated with natural Welsh slates and the ground-floor fenestration restored to its original appearance. A detailed schedule of repairs to the external fabric of the building has been competed, including replacing heavily weathered balusters at the parapet; timber repairs to the roof structure; repairs to the chimneys, including some replacement of stone; and renewing leadwork and rainwater goods.

Specialist conservators have completed air-lime repointing; consolidation; mortar repairs to the facade; the removal of algae, lichens, sulphation crusts and dirt; and a linseed oil surface coating to conserve the fabric of the building. These works return the building to a watertight and restored condition, which will enable the conversion of the entire site to take place from 2023.

The HAZ-funded works are enabling a larger redevelopment of the Post Office complex into a visual arts space, while maintaining the significance of these historically important buildings in the heart of Lowestoft. The scheme is led by Messums, distinguished gallerists who are recognised for revitalising old buildings and embedding them within communities through artistic enterprise, and the internationally renowned sculptor Laurence Edwards, who was born and raised in East Suffolk. The hub, known as Messums East, will provide a working studio for Edwards; spaces for a revolving residency of international, national and regional artists; exhibition spaces; screening room; and a cafe. Edwards will also be working to create a large-scale bronze landmark sculpture for Lowestoft.

To help guide long-term ambitions for the areas, it has been essential to develop local planning policy to make sure that there is consistency in advice for residents, developers, and planning and conservation officers to secure the long-term benefits of these schemes. Public realm master plans have been developed to explore how public spaces could better be used and improved through investment, and two conservation area appraisals and management plans for Lowestoft have been updated. A HAZ design guide has been produced and adopted as a supplementary planning document to inform planning decisions. These documents and the Lowestoft Town Centre Master Plan provide a vision for future investment in the public realm, much of which will be brought forward outside the life of the heritage action zone schemes, but which will reflect heritage-led regeneration championed through these projects.

Sharing knowledge and information about how to care for historic buildings, approaches to traditional construction, materials and repairs are important to the ethos of the HAZ schemes. We have held several sessions for the public with the support of specialist craftspeople to explore the principles of traditional repairs; using lime mortars; repairing original timber sashes; the use of linseed oil paint for historic joinery; flint repairs; and the importance of breathability in historic buildings.

The heritage action zones work closely with businesses and the local community, supporting businesses through the pandemic with recovery grants, and working on community-driven schemes, including the creation of local gardening groups, poetry, memory recollection and local history archival study projects.

The London Road, Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone was also awarded £90,000 of funding from Historic England to spend on cultural activities to make high streets more vibrant places to visit. With this funding, events, workshops and projects are being delivered from 2020 until 2024 by local cultural organisations. We have taken streets back in time to the 1940s and 1960s, worked with local partners to produce a bespoke theatre piece, and commissioned an award-winning spoken-word poet and renowned artist to create original pieces celebrating the significance of the Post Office to Lowestoft. More cultural activity is still to come, including a carnival, art trail and theatre production.

We have found that using the high street as an event space for cultural and heritage experiences promotes activity in shopping areas. It has benefitted the local economy, with independent businesses receiving more shoppers during events, and return visits following activities. Lowestoft has heritage at its heart. The heritage action zones protect and celebrate the town’s rich architecture, history and culture, set the precedent for future development, and work with the local community to deliver schemes with a legacy.