Battery Green

The Battery Green project concept was developed three years ago and has evolved through planning feedback, market engagement, and refinement to reflect operator needs. The project has been carefully planned in phases and has already achieved the following milestones:

• Demolition and site preparation – former car park demolition
• Marina Centre partial demolition and refurbishment
• Improvements to the Marina Theatre are being delivered by Lowestoft Town Council in partnership with the Marina Theatre. Further details can be found below.

There have been some challenges to overcome with the need to avoid certain infrastructure on site and equally to ensure the project uses align with market demand - these challenges have required the Council to review the design and we have formally marketed the site during July and August to work towards securing end tenants from the leisure, restaurant, and cultural sectors. This highlighted:

• Interest for a new-build restaurant from operators
• Interest from creative organisations to run cultural buildings
• Limited commercial interest from the leisure sector

Using the above information the Council has reviewed the project to ensure what is delivered provides the best outcomes for the community and visitors. As a result, the former car park building will be the building to house the cultural uses - this was going to be for the leisure uses.

This approach maintains the ambition of the original vision - to create jobs, increase footfall, provide a new cultural building - while providing sustainable uses across the site aligned with community and operator demand, guarantees an end uses for all buildings and keeps the project deliverable within Town Deal timescales.

Following public engagement in April the project has been submitted for Planning. 

Tenant

First Light Festival CIC is excited to be the chosen as the operator for the planned Cultural Quarter in Lowestoft, which is being developed on the site of what was the Battery Green multi-story car park.

Our plan is to establish a dynamic hub for culture, creativity, learning, and community engagement, bringing our successful First Light Festival USP into the town centre - to grow footfall and the nighttime economy and boost life and vitality in Lowestoft town centre.

First Light’s plans will complement the work of the Marina, Players and Seagull Theatres, as well as the new Messum’s East and Town Hall re-developments. 

Our core value of shining a first light on local and creative talent will inspire a high quality, inclusive artistic and community programme, that is based on regular activity and exciting themed seasons of work, which mirror our First Light priorities - with original music, movement, words, science, creative health and skills development. 

As well as flexible venue spaces the hub will offer rehearsal space, meeting rooms and co-working areas with room for community activity and with a new, green public realm for enjoying outdoor activities and performances.  

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Contractor: Morgan Sindall
Cost: £24.3m (£14.3m HM Government Towns Fund, £10m ESC Capital Fund)
Timeframe: Completion by Spring 2028

The Marina Theatre has undergone a major £3 million redevelopment project, delivering significant improvements to one of Suffolk's leading venues for theatre, music and comedy.

The works included the creation of a new theatre entrance within a purpose-built link building connecting the historic Victorian Theatre with the existing box office. This new space incorporates a lift providing access to all floors of the theatre, improved toilet facilities, and a relocated and expanded box office designed to enhance the visitor experience.

The auditorium also benefited from a substantial refurbishment, including the installation of new carpeting and the careful reconfiguration of the existing seating. The new seating layout provides increased legroom and greater comfort for audiences attending future performances.

The Marina Theatre and its café closed to the public on 15 June 2025 to allow the redevelopment works to be completed. During the closure, box office services continued via telephone, email and a temporary pop-up facility located outside B&M on London Road North.

The project was delivered by Lowestoft Town Council, as building owner, in partnership with the Marina Theatre Trust and East Suffolk Council, with funding provided through the UK Government's Towns Fund programme.

Following the successful completion of the redevelopment works, the Marina Theatre reopened in autumn 2025. The venue welcomed audiences back with its first performance following the refurbishment, featuring popular entertainer and Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke.

This Marina Theatre Project is a Lowestoft Town Council (as building owners) project, in partnership with the Marina Theatre Trust and East Suffolk Council, with funding from the UK Government’s Towns Fund.

Led by: Lowestoft Town Council
Partners: Marina Theatre Trust, East Suffolk Council
Cost: £3.5m (including allocation from HM Governments Towns Fund)
Reopened: Autumn 2025
🌐Visit: marinatheatre.co.uk

Whilst the seafront is rightly considered the jewel in the town’s crown, it is in an area of deprivation including low household income, obesity, and poor health determinants. It is important to uplift this area to enhance the lives of our community and radically improve footfall and spend in order to grow the tourism economy.

In 2021, East Suffolk Council commissioned Jon Sheaff & Associates to create a masterplan for the seafront and London Road South which provides early design proposals for regeneration over the next ten years. The London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone and Seafront Masterplan, led by ESC’s Economic Regeneration team, is an initial concept proposal for how changes to public spaces and the urban environment can help regenerate South Lowestoft and Kirkley.

The proposals include improved connections to the seafront with the shopfronts, providing more leisure and tourist offers to make the area more prosperous with the overall aim of improving experiences for visitors and residents.

The seafront falls within the boundary of the South Lowestoft and Kirkley Conservation Area, which provides a unique opportunity to enable the redevelopment of historic buildings and the creation of a cultural programme within this area.

Why not download the Lowestoft Seafront Vistors Map here to help plan your visit.

In early 2023, East Suffolk Council was awarded £4.3m from HM Government’s Levelling Up Fund, specifically for Jubilee Parade. The project is the third phase of the Jubilee Parade vision to be delivered. Earlier works to stabilise the cliff and contemporary new beach huts, Eastern Edge, have already been delivered. When works commence, they are expected to be undertaken in two stages to limit disruption and impact on local businesses, residents, and tourists during the summer season.

Jubilee Parade is a landmark addition to Lowestoft’s seafront, transforming a former site of ageing 1930s chalets into a vibrant new destination for residents and visitors. Officially opened in 2025, the development forms a key part of the wider regeneration of Lowestoft’s coastline and significantly enhances the leisure, hospitality and accessibility offer along the seafront.

Located adjacent to the award-winning Eastern Edge beach huts, Jubilee Parade has been designed to complement its prominent coastal location while respecting the character of the surrounding Conservation Area. The contemporary design draws inspiration from the area's rich seaside heritage, creating a striking and welcoming new gateway to the beach.

What's at Jubilee Parade?

The new two-storey complex includes:

• A first-floor restaurant and café space with panoramic sea views and outdoor seating overlooking the beach.
• Three ground-floor concession units supporting leisure, retail and visitor-focused businesses.
• Modern public toilets, showers and a fully accessible Changing Places facility, providing enhanced accessibility for all users.
• A lift and staircase connecting the Upper Esplanade and Lower Promenade, significantly improving access along the seafront and to the beach huts.
• New public realm improvements including enhanced lighting, beach-front decking and upgraded promenade infrastructure.

Improving Accessibility

Accessibility has been at the heart of the project. The installation of a public lift has transformed access between the upper and lower seafront, benefitting residents, visitors, wheelchair users, families with pushchairs and people with limited mobility.

The inclusion of a Changing Places facility ensures that people with complex accessibility needs can enjoy Lowestoft's seafront with dignity and confidence.

Supporting Local Business and Tourism

Jubilee Parade has already attracted new businesses to the seafront, strengthening Lowestoft’s visitor economy and creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

The concession units are occupied by:

• Peak Open Water Sports
• Nuglow UK

In addition, Sunrise at Marty Boys (formerly Sunrise at Zaks) has relocated into new premises within the complex, continuing to provide a popular café destination for residents and visitors alike.

The first-floor restaurant space offers a unique hospitality opportunity with uninterrupted views across the North Sea, further enhancing Lowestoft's coastal offer. Please visit East Suffolk Council's agent, Roche, for more details on this space.

Delivering Regeneration

Led by East Suffolk Council and delivered by local contractors PJ Spillings, the £6.2 million project was funded through:

• £4.3 million from the Government's Levelling Up Fund
• £1.9 million investment from East Suffolk Council

Jubilee Parade marks the culmination of a programme of investment along the seafront which has included:

• The Eastern Edge beach huts
• The Royal Plain fountains and public realm improvements
• South Quay Wharf Pocket Park
• The accessible beach boardwalk
• Outdoor gym equipment and recreation facilities at Royal Green

Together, these projects are helping to create a more attractive, accessible and vibrant destination that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors year-round.

Social Value and Community Benefits

As part of the construction programme, contractor PJ Spillings delivered a range of social value initiatives, including:

• Funding 16 places on Waveney Surf Life Saving Club's graduate lifeguard programme.
• Providing RNLI rescue training opportunities for staff.
• Employing apprentices from East Coast College.
• Delivering work experience placements for local students.
• Supporting community events, including First Light Festival, through the provision of equipment and resources.

These initiatives have helped ensure the benefits of the project extend beyond the physical development, supporting skills, education and community wellbeing across the area.

A New Seafront Landmark

Jubilee Parade is now firmly established as a flagship destination on Lowestoft's seafront. Combining high-quality visitor facilities, improved accessibility, new business opportunities and outstanding coastal views, the development represents a significant investment in the town's future and contributes to Lowestoft's growing reputation as one of the UK's emerging coastal destinations.

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Lead Architect: Chaplin Farrant
Partners: Waveney Disability Forum, First Light Festival CIC
Contractors: PJ Spillings 
Cost: £6.2m (£4.3m HM Government Levelling Up Fund, £1.9m East Suffolk Council)
Completed: Summer 2026

Responding to key routes to and from surrounding spaces such as the bascule bridge, South Pier, Esplanade and Marine Parade, proposals for Royal Plain incorporate both hard and soft landscape features to help ‘frame’ the space and create a more enclosed and comfortable setting in which to spend time. and will see:

• New, compliant fountain and mirror pool (this was one of the most requested features the community would like to see reinstated)
• New benches and raised planters to the north and west.
• Additional lighting
• Improved surfacing within the East Point Pavilion courtyard garden to improve access and provide flexible events space, alongside new planting to create a more intimate space with improved shade and shelter.

The improvements to Royal Green draw inspiration from the beach, broads, harbour, and piers, and will see:

• The existing brick walls along the esplanade removed.
• Diverse soft landscape edges along the esplanade and the car park, inspired by coastal dunes, will see resilient trees, shrubs, coastal grasses, and flora planted.
• New and refurbished bench seating combined with boulder groupings that relate to the boulders on the beach.
• Exercise stations and improved seating areas are dotted along the length of the site.
• New games area, aimed at older children and teenagers, together with a new bouldering facility (requested through consultation with students) beside the existing play area which was extended and enhanced in 2019.
• New cycle hub to the north, encouraging active travel and providing space for e-bikes, bicycle parking, and a bike repair station.
• Electric vehicle charging points introduced.

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Partners: Waveney Disability Forum, Blakedown Landscapes, Hemmingway Design
Timeframes: Construction commenced Winter 2024/25, and is anticipated to be completed late Summer 2025.

The iconic seafront venue reopened in June 2022, as the first project delivered by HM Government’s Towns Fund.

The East Point Pavilion, a Victorian-style glass pavilion situated on Royal Plain, is now a thriving cultural and community space for the town, and is the perfect spot to enjoy the Easterly sea view whilst tasting delicious food from an assortment of independent street food traders, alongside barista coffee, craft beer, wine and cocktails from our house bar and café.

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Managed by: First Light Festival CIC
🌐 Visit: East Point Pavilion

Designed by Norwich-based architects Chaplin Farrant, the £2.6m project has created split level beach huts which have replaced the former Jubilee Chalets. During the project, vital works to strengthen the cliff also were undertaken.

The huts face partially south to ensure maximum sunshine throughout the day, with the tips of the structures will facing eastwards, reflecting Lowestoft’s position as the most easterly location in the country.

A raised decking promenade has also been created to enable people to sit in front of the new huts without restricting access to those using the promenade. Ten of the most central huts have also be designed to be more easily accessible for wheelchairs and buggies.

Beach huts can be hired through Lowestoft Beach Hut Hire. The first phase of the project was completed in Summer 2022.

A new boardwalk opened in June 2022 allowing people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs better access to the seafront. The boardwalk, created in collaboration with Waveney Disability Forum, is located near to public toilets, the beach access ramp and the Claremont car park and will provide year-round access to the beach.

The boardwalk is 1.5m wide and 54m long with a wider 6m by 8m space at the end which can be used for performances or events like fitness classes.

Beach Wheelchairs

To help everyone enjoy the beautiful sandy shores of Lowestoft South Beach, East Suffolk Council provides two specially designed beach wheelchairs, complete with large pneumatic wheels for easy movement across the sand.

These wheelchairs are free to use, and are available from May to September (extra dates may be possible on request).

How to Book

To make sure a beach wheelchair is ready for you, we ask that you book in advance - they're very popular during the summer!
Just email the Beach Office at beach.wheelchairs@eastsuffolk.gov.uk to check availability and arrange your booking.

What You Need to Know

• You’ll need to be able to transfer yourself from your own wheelchair to the beach wheelchair, as we don’t currently have a hoist available.
• Each chair includes a chest strap for safety but does not have a head support.
• The maximum user weight is 25 stone (350 lbs / 158 kg).
• Children must be at least 3' tall (92 cm) to use the chairs comfortably.

We look forward to helping you enjoy a day at the beach!

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Partners: Waveney Disability Forum

Download the Lowestoft Seafront Visitors Map here