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The Chair, once again, thanked the cultural venue operators for their participation in this review and the Committee received report ES/2700 from the Leader of the Council who explained that the Cultural Quarter provided a £24.7M investment to Lowestoft town centre which included £14.7M of external funding through the Town Deal. She added that the project responded to both national and local challenges facing the town centre. Once complete, it would boost performance, sustainability and experience of the town centre to visitors, residents and businesses by accelerating cultural activity that grew productivity. Most importantly, the project would build on the programming and experience of existing venues which were the heartbeat of the town's cultural offer. It would also complement the other Towns Deal developments taking place at the former Post Office and Town Hall. The Cultural Quarter project included:
- The redevelopment of the derelict Battery Green Car Park with a new cultural and community hub including studio space for creative businesses and space for a new restaurant to support the night-time economy.
- The redevelopment of the former Marina Centre to provide community outreach activity space on the ground floor and flexible back office accommodation on the first floor for the building and cultural and community hub operator.
- An improved public realm including the realignment of the access road to provide a new link between the port and town centre.
- A £3.5M grant to Lowestoft Town Council to undertake a range of improvements to the Marina Theatre including a new box office, improved cafe, new public lift, new office space and reconfiguration of seating in the auditorium.
To date, works undertaken as part of the project included the part demolition of the car park, upgrades to onsite utilities, and ensuring a clean site for the main development. The refurbishment of the Marina Centre had been completed in February 2025 and the Marina Theatre redevelopment was now 95% complete.
The Leader explained that Anglian Water had informed the Project Team in January 2025 that they would not provide permission for the new cultural building to be built over the top of the existing sewer network, despite working with the Project Team over the previous 12 months and the sewers having been built over for the past 40 years. As a result of their decision, the Project Team had no choice but to redesign the works to the vacant car park and public realm. Whilst this was frustrating, the Project Team had used the time to review the business case, outputs and benefits of the wider project. Through the review, the Team understood changes in the market since the project was originally conceived in 2022 which confirmed there was continued interest and demand from the cultural sector for the development and interest from operators for the new restaurant. However, there was minimal demand from the competitive leisure sector which reflected the national trend. It was decided, therefore, to remove this element from the project and reuse the car park for the cultural hub whilst providing a new food and drink venue, public toilet facility and associated public realm enhancements. These changes did not impact on the outputs, outcomes or expected benefits that the project was expected to deliver.
The Committee was informed that a new external project team had now been appointed with Morgan Sindall leading on the development and Greyfriars Project Management providing independent project management support to the Council's Project Team. The new design would be shaped following previous engagement with national and regional venues delivering a similar experience and 1-2-1 meetings with local venues and cultural providers which had been undertaken over the last couple of years.
In addition, there had been ongoing engagement with the Place Partnership which was an organisation made up from local cultural providers. In 2024, the Council secured a 2-year lease for the vacant former Tesco building in the town centre which was sub-leased to the First Light Festival as the lead organisation of the Place Partnership. The building was renamed the Battery of Ideas and it undertook live operational testing to provide evidence of what programming drove high engagement and what channels best reached deprived wards. To date there had been over 261 activities held within the Battery of Ideas which included music, visuals arts, radio, crafts, dance, DJ events and exhibitions. An independent evaluation by Audience Agency Consultants for the Battery of Ideas programme had noted that strong outputs had been delivered to date and progress against programme targets such as the number of creative organisations engaged, participation numbers were on track, volunteering numbers were strong and the audience reach was wide, which was all further evidence that demand for cultural activity and events remained strong.
The project was now progressing at pace, and the concept design should be completed by the end of this month which would be shared with stakeholders in the very near future. Following completion of the design, the aim would be to submit a new planning application before the summer with construction beginning toward the end of this year. The project was due to be completed in early 2028.
A key milestone for the project was securing an operator for the Cultural Hub and in July 2025, the Council undertook a procurement exercise to secure an operator. This was undertaken through a 2-stage lease process as follows:
- Stage 1 - Information was advertised through a range of professional cultural websites and newsletter including a paid advert, with local organisations made aware of the opportunity. It was really pleasing that so many local organisations enquired about the opportunity and visited the site.
- Stage 2 – Those who expressed an interest in the management of the Cultural hub were invited to submit a detailed business plan on their proposed operation. The business plans were scored on the ability to meet the draft heads of terms, tenant capacity / governance, cultural objectives, community and accessibility and employment and training. There were 3 business cases submitted for evaluation. Following this process an operator was selected and approved.
The Leader stated that it gave her great pleasure to officially confirm that the First Light Festival Community Interest Company would operate the Cultural Hub once complete. She added that the Council was aware that cultural venues had concerns about the development and future programming, however, First Light Festival were keen to work with existing cultural providers to maximise this opportunity to grow culture and the overall town centre experience. The testing that had taken place at the Battery of Ideas was a great example of how cultural organisations could collaborate to test activity and share experiences.
The Council continued to invest in culture across the district, in February 2023 the first East Suffolk Cultural Strategy was produced and was a blueprint for the positive impact the arts, culture and creativity could have on residents and visitors. The appointment of the Council's first Cultural Officer to oversee the implementation of the Strategy had been further evidence of the ambition of the council. The Leader stressed that the Council had and would continue to support cultural venues and organisations with funding applications and to provide opportunities for sharing experiences and growing the cultural sector.
The Committee was informed that, over the past few months, the Council had been undertaking a mapping exercise into the culture and creative sector in East Suffolk. Whilst only in draft format, the report concluded that overall creative density in Lowestoft remained below its potential despite being the largest and most concentrated creative economy in East Suffolk and benefitting from urban scale, infrastructure and access to wider markets. However, once completed, the Cultural Quarter would:
- Increase local jobs
- Increase cultural participation
- Increase town centre footfall
- Reduce town centre vacancy rates
- Improve perception of the town
The Leader concluded that the Council looked forward to working with the community, cultural sector and the town's existing venues as the development of the Cultural Quarter progressed and the cultural sector grew across East Suffolk. She also announced that, after two years of lobbying, Greater Anglia had confirmed that extra trains would come in and out of Lowestoft earlier and later in the day. She added that she would continue to press for more later trains to help the town's night-time economy.
At the Chair's invitation, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Communities, Culture, Leisure and Tourism stated that one of the reasons the Council was focussing on culture in Lowestoft was because the project was located in the Harbour Ward which was one of the most deprived neighbourhoods nationally, and developing the cultural offer could help with that as shown by two pieces of evidence. Firstly, the Battery of Ideas was showing a strong demand for cultural activity but at the same time participation in culture was quite low in Lowestoft. Secondly, there were all sorts of studies about the value of culture eg health prevention and treatment; the reduction of health inequalities; a positive impact on health outcomes and adopting healthy lifestyles; it made a difference with mental health; it could improve social cohesion which impacted on social isolation and loneliness; it offered volunteering opportunities for those going into work or retiring; it enhanced culture and could improve a child's speech and language, educational attainment and confidence. So there was a lot that would help with residents' wellbeing. There were also economic benefits because, although engagement was not as high as they would like it to be, there was strong evidence from the work done by the Focus Creative in 2019 to show that there were 90 creative enterprises in Lowestoft and 40 organisations had responded to the survey that they wanted a dedicated physical location to support the growth of culture which would then support economic growth. There were already 2000 cultural jobs in East Suffolk that were known about and the Council wanted to build on that and create more long term employment. With more culture people could be encouraged to stay in the town and not move to London. With a good cultural community eg filmmakers, musicians, game makers etc we would have a pool of trained people available rather than pulling them in from other areas. Culture could regenerate high streets and communities and grow the daytime and evening economy. Whilst the retail offer in Lowestoft town centre had declined, culture could step into that space. Lowestoft was the second largest town in the district and was a key visitor destination which could be built upon with the aim of increasing the spend in town. It was hoped that having a strong cultural and town centre offer would act as a catalyst for investment as there was a lot of evidence that building on the creative community that was already there and providing an affordable and appropriate town centre space would support creative businesses and provide employment. She concluded that the cultural infrastructure that was being put in would help support the whole vision for the town.
The Leader reported that the Seagull Theatre were also leading on the Town of Culture Bid for Lowestoft.
The Chair invited Members questions and the following responses were received:
- Protracted conversations had been held with Anglian Water but they did not have any legal obligation to provide compensation for the project which was still on time to be delivered.
- First Light Festival CIC's bid to operate the Cultural Hub included ticket sales and that gave the Project Team the confidence that they would be able to deliver meaningful change. The funding to provide the annual First Light Festival was entirely different.
- The aim was to draw in those people who thought culture was not for them eg the public could go to the former Post Office and help design a legacy piece. The Battery of Ideas had been about seeing what worked and what didn't eg the Lowestoft Community Partnership had funded a gaming weekend developed by the First Light Festival which had attracted huge involvement. If the public could be encouraged into that space then they could experience other cultural things and hopefully we could grow a new generation to become part of it and help it to be sustainable. The Seagull Theatre's lead on the Town of Culture bid would hopefully be successful and draw in more people. Culture done right and involving all stakeholders was more likely to be sustainable eg the old Telephone Exchange building in Saxmundham was rented out to small businesses, including someone that did film editing for all over the world and he engaged schools and brought money into the economy. This was a small example of how culture could be sustainable, regenerate and make a difference. The aim was not to compete with any current cultural offer but to work collaboratively to enhance each other's offer and signpost to other cultural offers across the whole district.
- The Cultural Hub project would be delivered before East Suffolk Council finished and the lease for the building would remain with the new Unitary Authority.
- The Business Case continued to be updated as part of the process eg the project had been reviewed based on feedback from different markets resulting in the plans being adjusted based on constraints and deliverability etc. The Project Team was confident that they knew how to use the space having tested activities as part of the Battery of Ideas.
- Further data was now available on who the customers were at all the cultural venues and that would be reviewed. The wider community who did not normally attend cultural venues would be targeted eg some ticket prices were set very low or free to bring people through the door and introduce them to culture.
- The chosen operator for the Cultural Hub had heads of terms to test they could deliver the outcomes and a live risk register was reviewed monthly.
- First Light Festival's business case was based around various activities so higher prices for some of these would subsidise the free events.
Councillor Molyneux stated that the Monitoring Officer had previously advised that he did not have to make a formal Declaration of Interest when taking part in reviews on similar subjects, however, in the interests of transparency he wanted it to be known that he was a freelancer and had been involved in making the Art Sail as part of the Battery of Ideas Art Station project.
The Chair invited Des Reynolds from the Seagull Theatre to address the Committee.
Mr Reynolds thanked the Committee for the opportunity to attend and present at the meeting on the Cultural Quarter Project. He explained that the Seagull Theatre was a not-for-profit community arts venue which had been in operation since 2007 and currently attracted an average of 450 visitors each week. They served some of the most vulnerable members of the Lowestoft community and a majority of those participating in activities were drawn from the 10% most deprived areas of the town. Alongside a weekly programme of arts performances for which tickets were sold, they also delivered a varied community programme including four dementia accessible events each week, two neurodivergent arts groups, a singing for lung health group, free music tuition fortnightly, a heritage shanty choir and six different youth theatre classes. They had their own dance school as well as hosting several others, and they provided subsidised access to rehearsal and meeting space for numerous local groups. They supported, and were the founders of, the first Lowestoft Men’s Shed and in 2025 they brought back the Lowestoft Carnival after a 13 year hiatus. In 2023 they became a member of the Arts Council National Portfolio which provided them with funding to support the creation of more theatre in Lowestoft. In the years since then, that funding had allowed them to support over 25 new productions, created and premiered here in Lowestoft.
Bearing all this in mind, they were a strong supporter of the value of cultural practice, both as a means in itself, but also as a source of support for vulnerable people and a driver for community regeneration. Their mission statement was “transforming our community through the arts” and they believed that the challenges facing the town were best addressed by supporting those who were already here.
They believed that any additional investment in the town centre and in culture generally was very welcome and they had supported the Cultural Quarter programme since its inception. However, they wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some challenges which they felt should or could be addressed in the near future.
(a) Business Plan/Competition
When invited to this meeting they had been told it would be about the Cultural Quarter Business Plan and had been interested to note this wording, as the single biggest issue for them with the Cultural Quarter had been a lack of clarity about the nature of the Business Plan for this development. When the opportunity to tender to operate the Cultural Quarter was advertised, they had decided not to apply, primarily because they could not see any viable business model for the original development proposal which would not unduly compete with existing provision and the vibrant existing cultural life of the town. Although those plans had now dramatically changed, it was still unclear to them, what the Cultural Quarter would in fact deliver and how it would operate and be sustainable.
They were concerned about the potential for an additional venue in the town competing unfairly for what was a finite and cost sensitive local audience. Any new or existing cultural organisation in the town which was given guaranteed core funding or preferential lease rates by the local authority would immediately have an unfair advantage over other operators in the town. Similarly, any new venue seeking to be sustainable through ticket sales for events would provide additional competition for the existing venues. Lastly it should also be remembered that any new venue or setting which included grant funding as a significant part of its sustainability planning, would also provide additional competition in this key area as well.
They found it very hard to envisage a new largescale cultural development in the proposed space, which would not provide considerable additional challenge to the business models of existing providers. However, it should also be noted that competition was not necessarily a bad thing and that it was an inevitable part of running an organisation in a market economy. They did not fear this but urged the Council to consider how this could be done in a way which ensured a fair playing field. For example, any organisation which was attempting to be grant funded as part of its business plan, should not be able to increase its chances of acquiring such funding simply by being able to rely on the support of the Council as a partner, whilst such opportunities were not equally available to other local providers. Being seen to have a close working relationship with the local authority, being the sole conduit of cultural information about the development, being included in Council meetings, or receiving disproportionate amounts of local authority marketing support, would all skew the competitive environment which would be increased by the Cultural Quarter. Significant steps should be taken to offset this by ensuring that all providers of all sizes within the town had equal access to Council Officer time, influence, support and funding.
(b) Disconnect with the local community
Alongside the lack of a published Business Plan for the Cultural Quarter, they were concerned about the disconnect which undoubtedly existed between the originators of the Quarter Plan, and many within the community of Lowestoft. As stated previously, they had extensive and regular contact with a number of community members, and in particular those within the deprived areas of our town. Within these sections, they found it hard to have positive conversations about the Cultural Quarter, simply because there were few who seemed to support the development.
In the context of a town with very high levels of deprivation, and long-term embedded issues with poverty and increasing disaffection with mainstream politics, it was unfortunate that there had not been more success in engaging with community groups and grass roots organisations in “selling” the development. As an organisation who absolutely recognised the value of cultural development and the benefits it could bring, they felt that too little had been done to support the community in seeing how the Quarter could benefit them. Too many of the local residents they saw on a regular basis felt that the Quarter was a middle-class development, or “not for them”. They did not recognise their own role in the opportunity and did not envisage their own usage of the final resources which come available. This was in large due to the fact that it had not been possible to explain to people what their role might be and what might be on offer.
The Seagull Theatre felt that it was vital that the Cultural Quarter offer, not only recognised the social and economic needs of the town but also respected and catered for the artistic tastes within the largely working-class community served. Work now to build a community of users for the development, would be vital to ensure that upon completion the resource was viable. Such work must be founded in the solid understanding of that community and its wishes and desires. It should also be respectful of those wishes and desires and not founded on a plan to “influence” or shape local tastes. Such a plan would be disrespectful to the wishes and feelings of the communities we serve and doomed to fail. Changing tastes, if considered appropriate, could only be achieved through first gaining credibility and trust.
(c) Market Segmentation
Much of the success of the current cultural development in the town, was due to the fact that a large number of grassroots cultural organisations existed and were able to find a viable number of supporters. This was in part due to market segmentation. Whilst the venues competed to some extent already, they also appealed to very different segments of the community. This separation of audiences was often geographical, but also based on income levels, age and arts preferences.
For example, the Seagull’s own venue often offered similar types of music acts to those at the Marina, but the differences in scale, price and geographic draw, allowed them both to successfully operate. Similar market segmentation allowed the wonderful Lowestoft Players to offer a successful annual pantomime even though both the Marina and the Seagull offered other Christmas productions.
When commissioning the new Quarter, it would be important that detailed thought was given to programming and audience building which complemented and grew what was on offer. Some element of competition was inevitable, but could be minimised through identifying and targeting specific audiences.
There was a temptation to suggest that a combined or co-ordinated approach to programming activity in the town would also support them in avoiding competitive marketing. However, any such approach would need to be respectful of the independence of each venue as none of them wanted to have to get approval from other venues when booking shows. Such an approach could have a stultifying effect on innovation and limit venues more than it helped them. Alternatively, if the new space were to offer something completely new and different to the town, such as a largescale events space for exhibitions, conferences and markets, this would be a welcome addition.
In summary, they were keen to support the cultural growth of Lowestoft as they had been actively doing this for over 18 years and they knew how it was best achieved whilst bringing the local community with them. As one of the larger cultural operators in the town, it was interesting to note that, as of today, they did not know what the plan was for the Cultural Quarter. They had not been engaged by the local authority to support this project in the last three years and had not recently been asked by the Council how they would ensure its success. They believed that the ultimate survival of the Cultural Quarter and its long-term sustainability would rely on how well it was able to engage with the existing community and build both trust and credibility. It was unfortunate that they felt unable to point to strong examples of this in the plans to date.
Mr Reynolds concluded that they wanted to emphasise again, that they believed in the value of culture and wanted to support and help the growth of cultural provision in Lowestoft, but in a way that was led and managed by local people with lived experience of the challenges of our town.
At the Chair's invitation, Nick Garrod, who represented The Players Theatre addressed the Committee. He explained that he was a Trustee of the Lowestoft Players and the Players Theatre and had been actively involved with the organisation since 1978 and was joined at the meeting by three fellow Trustees in the gallery. He added that the Lowestoft Players welcomed any initiative that enhanced cultural life in the town, and from the very beginning they had tried to understand where they might fit within the Cultural Quarter eg how they could contribute constructively, act as a partner, and help strengthen the overall cultural offer. That had not always been easy. As an organisation positioned literally on the edge of the Quarter, they often had to push to be included, and to make the case for why their involvement was essential to sustaining their own future. They believed they should be involved and deserved to be involved and, as one of the town’s oldest major cultural organisations, founded in 1967, there was a reasonable expectation that they would be involved from the outset. Looking ahead, they imagined a number of potential roles:
- as a regular or even resident user of new spaces,
- as a programming partner,
- or as an organisation delivering day-to-day activity within the Quarter.
They had even had to consider whether, if future pressures escalated, they might one day need to use the proposed new venue operationally. They remained open-minded where there was clear mutual benefit, but they were also concerned about the long-term sustainability of their own theatre given the scale and nature of the new developments.
This was particularly relevant because policy decisions around 15 years ago fundamentally changed their trajectory and significantly altered their operating model. He acknowledged that in the last two to three years, relationships between themselves and all venues, the Festival of Light/The Battery Team, together with East Suffolk Council had improved significantly. This project had clearly helped bring organisations together, and that was genuinely appreciated.
It was also essential to state that they were a completely volunteer-run charity. Everything they did eg running a theatre, maintaining a heritage building, producing musicals and pantomimes, and even attending meetings like this, was done entirely in their own time. Not many cultural organisations operated under these constraints, and that had shaped their experience of engagement and the pressures placed upon them.
The Lowestoft Players had helped shape the cultural landscape of this town for many decades. However, during parts of this process, they had at times felt overlooked or marginalised, despite their long-standing contribution. Therefore, he felt it was important for those unfamiliar with their history, to give a brief outline of their background. He stressed that nothing he said today was directed at any current organisations or individuals as many of the original decision-makers were long gone, however, the cumulative impact of past decisions still affected them today, and it was important context for what followed.
Founded in 1967, the Lowestoft Players were approaching 60 years of continuous cultural activity. They were a voluntary, self-funding registered charity that owned and operated the Players Theatre. Their purpose was to produce theatre - musicals, plays and pantomimes for the people of Lowestoft. During the 1970s, 80s and 90s they were one of the town’s principal providers of large-scale theatre, performing at Sparrow’s Nest and the Marina Theatre, and welcomed over 17,000 patrons annually. Their pantomime alone attracted around 10,000 attendees when extended to 17 performances at the Council’s request. They had introduced many people both young and old to the performing arts, with several progressing into professional careers, a contribution that was not always recognised. In 1986 the Players were instrumental in persuading the Council to acquire the Marina Theatre (then the ABC cinema), which they believed helped to prevent its total demise and demolition through to its success today. Overtime, however, changes in pricing, programming and policy brought about by Waveney District Council Officers and more latterly the Marina Theatre Trust had made their regular use of the Marina Theatre almost unaffordable. Previously they had occupied the theatre for 5–6 weeks each year but today they could only afford just one week, and even that was becoming more challenging. The income from their pantomime was used to subsidise their musicals but that model no longer worked, which clearly risked their sustainability.
The Lowestoft Players had purchased the Bethel in 2010 as a rehearsal space, having outgrown the facilities at Stradbroke Road. As costs increased and access to the Marina Theatre decreased, they had no choice but to convert the building into the Players Theatre, entirely at their own risk, to secure the organisation’s future. Because of the building’s limitations, accessibility issues, lack of toilets and its general layout, they had commissioned plans in 2017 to redevelop parts of the Bethel to modernised it and make it into a community multi-use cultural hub. This was long before talk of the developments of the Town Hall/Post Office or Cultural Quarter and the proposal was presented at a Council Cultural Forum at The Seagull, a Lowestoft Town Council meeting and to the public via the press.
East Suffolk Council had suggested their proposals were without proof of case of need and that it required a feasibility study which was part funded by the Council with Moss King being engaged to do the work with them, which proved the case and made recommendations. It had subsequently been designed to RIBA Stage 3 and held full planning permission for a £1.8m redevelopment. The project was considered with the bid for Towns Fund but narrowly missed out. Securing major funding post-Covid had been extremely difficult and they had been included in a couple of other Expressions of Interest with East Suffolk Council, but with no success. It was also now becoming clear that, with the Cultural Quarter moving ahead, interest in their project had diminished, especially since concerns about overcapacity in their area had increased.
The Players had consistently sought to contribute to the Cultural Quarter process, even trying to get a place on the ‘Places Board’ but it had often felt that they needed to push their way in and any involvement had always seemed late, limited or reactive. A clear example of this was with the Towns Fund bid. East Suffolk Council had asked them to submit their project into the bid within a week of the deadline for submission. The pressure this placed on volunteers to do this was significant. They had ranked 6th out of 10, missing out by one point to that of the Marina’s bid. The rationale that was given was that they “did not employ staff” so being a volunteer-run charity, totally run by members of the community had placed them at a disadvantage. If they had been given more time and support, they might have been picked but instead if felt like a token gesture that they had been invited to be involved. He added that he also thought it was worth noting that one of the projects originally included in the top 5 of the Towns Fund was the Station Quarter which was later abandoned. They had asked if their project could take its place but were told that funds could not be repurposed. Had their project been supported, or had the Station Quarter allocation been reassigned, the Council would have had a quick win and the town would have had a modernised, multi-use community run arts venue operating within a building which had real heritage value to Lowestoft and its people.
The Players supported the Cultural Quarter, but past feelings of exclusion and being sidelined concerned them. They had had some really good discussions with the planned operators on how they might be included, not only in The Battery itself but also the Marina Centre building, however, they remained concerned because Lowestoft already had three active performance venues namely the Seagull, the Marina and the Players Theatre, all drawing from the same local audience. He suggested that none of these venues were currently operating anywhere near full capacity so adding another 300–400 seat venue at The Battery risked overcapacity, duplicated programming and direct competition. After over four decades working with the Marina, the last thing they wanted was for both organisations to suffer because the cultural ecosystem became unbalanced. It was not only their audiences at risk but for the Players, it was losing the community groups, schools and other users who helped sustain the Players financially as they could be drawn elsewhere if they wanted to use a nice new facility. It was not just the Cultural Quarter but the former Post Office and the Town Hall, all offered supposedly different but similar facilities. They had never seen any Business Plans, so they could not comment on them but it did not seem it was all going to be sustainable. They hoped the Council, and any future operator, would ensure long-standing organisations like the Players had fair and affordable access to publicly supported venues as they did not get that now. As one of the town’s oldest cultural institutions, they welcomed the opportunity for an ongoing presence or residency within the Cultural Quarter, including the Marina Theatre, whilst also exploring wider public use of their own facility.
They felt the solution was not to limit ambition but to coordinate it eg a joined-up cultural ecosystem similar to Sheffield or Norwich would include:
- Shared programming and season planning
- Avoiding diary clashes
- Coordinated marketing
- A single “What’s On for Lowestoft Theatres”
- Potential shared ticketing and audience development
- A positive/supported approach to allow existing voluntary organisations access to new and existing facilities.
This approach would grow audiences for all venues, rather than dividing them.
Parking was already a challenge in the evening and with The Battery fully operational, this would only intensify. A comprehensive parking review was needed, and free parking after 6pm in and around the Cultural Quarter and town centre would significantly support all venues. For the Cultural Quarter to succeed, the town centre must feel welcoming and safe after dark. Lighting, wayfinding, safety measures and general ambience were critical factors.
Mr Garrod asked the Committee the Committee to consider the following recommendations:
- A realistic capacity review to ensure new provision did not destabilise existing venues.
- Protection for long-standing volunteer-run organisations that had built cultural activity over decades.
- Meaningful engagement in the revised design and planning stages.
- Funding criteria that did not disadvantage organisations without paid staff.
- Joined-up programming and shared marketing to reduce duplication.
- A clear parking strategy ideally including free parking after 6pm.
- Improvements to the night-time environment eg lighting, safety and wayfinding.
- A focus on local identity and everyday use, ensuring the Quarter was a place for residents, not only visitors.
- Exploration of design concepts such as a community-based ground floor, indoor garden, café/library/learning hub, potential museum space, and enhanced public realm.
- A transparent business plan and operator model, setting out funding, management and long-term viability.
Mr Garrod concluded that they were not opposed to change but wanted to ensure the Cultural Quarter was sustainable, inclusive, and genuinely beneficial to the whole town without repeating mistakes of the past. As a volunteer-led organisation with deep roots in Lowestoft, they were ready to work with all partners to help ensure the Cultural Quarter became a place the community could use, enjoy and be proud of.
The Chair invited Genevieve Christie representing the First Light Festival Community Interest Company to address the Committee. Ms Christie stated that she was delighted the First Light Festival (FLF) Community Interest Company (CIC) had been appointed as the operator of the new Cultural Hub. Their approach was to bring their successful USP into the heart of the town and to work in the spirit of partnership. Key to that was working with existing organisations for the sustainability of all Lowestoft Theatres and cultural organisations. FLF’s vision was that the Hub would have a people centred approach in its buildings, artistic programme, creative skills development, community activity and use of the public realm. It had potential for flexible, midscale performance and music venue space, the rehearsal space for creative health activity, for studio and workshop spaces to support creative businesses and social enterprise with a focus on start-up support and space for inclusive community programming – all areas identified as market gaps and which had all been tested as part of the Battery of Ideas Place Partnership Project.
As well as providing valuable green space in the heart of the town, the newly developed public realm would give potential for outside performances, showcasing makers and producers and for original art installations. FLF believed there was great potential for collaborative working with the Marina, Seagull and the Players Theatres, with the Post Office and Messums East and the redeveloped Town Hall and with others such as the Mayfly and Slounge, to develop a joined-up approach for larger scale town centre events that created rich cultural offers for local people and that developed the town centre as a destination for Lowestoft, and people from neighbouring towns and further afield.
There was so much great cultural and community activity developed in Lowestoft and many partners had tested projects as part of the Battery of Ideas including wellbeing and intergenerational workshops, largescale schools music activity, digital installations, dance and a gaming festival. FLF had worked with nearly 700 artists and arts practitioners, community volunteers had contributed nearly 800 hours of their time and 20K people had attended activities, all while other organisations were delivering their own work. So, it was hoped that building on this project going forward, working together collaboratively would be to the benefit of all cultural organisations in the town. An example of how this could work was Ipswich, with a population double Lowestoft, they had five theatres, seven Arts Council National Portfolio organisations, 3 new music venues, museums, independent cinema and two multiplexes. They were all well patronised which demonstrated that when there was a rich offer, audiences’ appetite for a vibrant cultural life grew. The “We are Ipswich” group brought together the town’s organisations to foster open dialogue between each other, whilst each member delivered their own year-round programmes. They come together to share experience, skills and advice and in this way they had steadily been building resilience, working together to strengthen Ipswich’s cultural landscape, ensuring the arts thrived and positively impacted local lives. FLF believed Lowestoft could benefit from a similar approach. She had already suggested to the Lowestoft Place Board that the Lowestoft Cultural Leadership Group be resurrected so all the Lowestoft arts organisations could meet regularly. The Group could be self-led but initially would benefit from Council secretariat support. In the short term, FLF had already spoken to the Marina Theatre Chair and members of their Board and The Players representatives present tonight about meeting up and communicating regularly whilst the build was in progress to work through ideas and issues together. It was FLF’s belief that adopting a collaborative people centred approach from the start was key to the success of a complementary and joined-up cultural provision right across Lowestoft, ensuring a positive economic impact and strong audience growth. It was clear that a connected cultural sector, rooted in place, delivered for both the local community and place based cultural organisations. It enabled healthier communities, supported employment and business development and enhanced a thriving tourism offer. Ms Christie concluded that she strongly believed that cultural connectedness truly delivered.
The Chair once again thanked the guest speakers for their time and participation, and they responded to Members' questions as follows:
- Mr Reynolds stated that the last time they had spoken to the Council about the Cultural Quarter was in 2023.
- Ms Christie stated that culture from other countries was integrated through programming eg the First Light Festival event had writers/performers from other countries and this exposed people to new and different things. Lowestoft had not had a lot of people from other places and they wanted to support people to be open. The Art Station project was in Felixstowe, Leiston and Lowestoft and worked with refugees to put their own stories into what became a textile migration story – three boats. It involved mainly women who did not speak much English and it brought them together with crafters/knitters from Lowestoft so it was a very good cultural experience.
- Mr Garrod stated that the Players Theatre had around 150 voluntary members but the figure changed eg when youngsters went off to uni. He added that they were planning to do shows for the locality but it was worth them considering how they could work with other cultures eg through expression of dance.
- Mr Reynolds confirmed that the Seagull Theatre did not receive any subsidies from East Suffolk Council.
- Mr Reynolds acknowledged the Seagull Theatre was not in the town centre, however, they had 21 parking spaces and that was partly why older customers visited them so reviewing parking in the town centre could help. He added that the Public Space Protection Order covering the town centre was a positive move because it did not feel comfortable. The other point he would make was that buses did not run in the evenings which prevented a lot of patrons visiting them so this was likely to be similar for the town centre. Mr Garrod responded similarly, that the Cultural Quarter development should improve lighting, if possible, create a bus pick up point and make the route to the Britten Centre car park safer. Ms Christie agreed that lighting and wayfinding were important. She pointed out that a lot of things were coming on stream at the same time eg the former Post Office was round the corner from the Cultural Quarter so connectivity was needed because people would come to the town for that and they wanted them to then go into the Cultural Quarter and heritage High Street so anything that could be done to bring it all together would help.
- Mr Garrod clarified that whilst they had not had any involvement they had been updated by Officers and Ms Christie but they had not been able to influence or have any say because stakeholder meetings were abandoned. In relation to parking , he commented that there was some provision but if there was something on at more than one venue then there was not enough provision. Mr Reynolds stated that they had also had talks with FLF but their point was that the had not had any dialogue with Councillors. Ms Christie stated that the Battery of Ideas Project had included these colleagues and FLF had fed their views back to the Council but there had been a hiatus due to the Anglian Water issue.
- Mr Reynolds highlighted the success of the 2025 carnival as an example of venues coordinating activities and he added that there was lots of capacity to grow that event and do more with it, with some funding. Ms Christie agreed that there was capacity and an appetite from small organisations to co-ordinate and having an anchor in the town like the Cultural Hub would help with that.
- Ms Christie stated that the Battery of Ideas project had already worked with the Seagull and Messums Gallery as part of the physical offer was creative and wellbeing studio space. There was room for organisations to work together. She stated that Mr Reynolds had referenced the idea that there might be exhibitions in the new Battery development but they needed to be mindful that the former Post Office was a gallery and had a grant that enabled them to have touring exhibitions so they did not want to tread on their toes but FLF would work with all partners. The Town Hall also wanted to be a heritage attraction. She added that there was a need to tap into schools and boost creative skills. She was on the Creative Industries Board for Norfolk and Suffolk and did not want Lowestoft young people to miss out. She envisaged all this in the Battery as there was room there for all.
- Mr Reynolds stated that the Council could help by giving other providers equal access to them as the patronage of the Council brought a lot of kudos and support. He added that having more direct contact between the Council and grass roots organisations such as small dance schools etc would be really valuable especially as volunteers were the reason why the rest of them could be successful. Mr Garrod stated that it would help the Players to potentially lease part of the Marina Theatre and eventually space in the Battery but they needed to understand if they could afford to do it and maybe then they could repurpose other parts of their building. He added that there had been so much uncertainty and he was still concerned about where audiences to keep everything going was going to come from. Ms Christie stated that FLF were collegiate and wanted to work with everyone and had conversations with Mr Garrod and Mr Reynolds about using the building but the hiatus about the building had bred concerns. She hoped the announcement that FLF would be the operators meant they could go out and put hard work into it!
- Ms Christie stated that there was a lot of evidence from universities such as King's College London about the benefits of culture for people in areas of deprivation and need. Mr Reynolds suggested Councillors might want to come and see the people who were using the cultural venues and benefitting from the culture events taking place.
At the Chair's invitation to respond to the guest speakers' comments, the Leader stated that she had an open door policy and was available at any time by email if anyone from the cultural sector wished to contact her.
Councillor Whitelock stated that culture was integral to people's welfare and the economy which was why Culture had been added to her title. She added that Councillor Graham deputised for her on cultural matters and she also worked in that world. She stressed that representatives were very welcome to email her direct, especially if they had concerns about not being involved.
The Leader stated that she felt that it had been a really good start to have the representatives at the meeting and was happy to reactivate the Lowestoft Cultural Leadership Group with interested stakeholders such as Councillor Gooch because this would only work if everyone worked together. She would also like to involve faith representatives and churches. She added that "language" barriers did not exist when listening to music, dancing and crafting as these activities could reach wide sections of the community eg those with dementia.
In relation to the comments on parking, the Strategic Director stated that the Council leased Britten Centre car park but had been a magnet for anti-social behaviour and had structural problems. Even without that building, there were 1.8 spaces per person which were free after 6pm and there were other car parks in the that were not perceived as such, so he acknowledged signage was important and lighting. He added that the MP had got together with various stakeholders including the Council and Police to push for more to be done on town centre safety but in the short term, the Public Space Protection Order approved by Cabinet, improvements to CCTV and possible funding from the Pride in Place scheme would help. There were some very specific issues the Police were focussing on including retail crime and, as they did in Felixstowe, having a Clear Hold Build approach which should help improve the night time economy, particularly the Hold and Build elements which lighting etc would feed into.
The Economic Regeneration Manager explained that the town centre master planning was key for the Cultural Quarter so putting something in eg the new restaurant would bring people and new uses into the heart of town centre which would reduce anti-social behaviour. The Team were also working with the Police's Design Out Crime Officer.
The Leader agreed that all cultural venues should have a fair playing field but work together. She stressed that the Cultural Hub was not a a middle-class development but was for all the people of Lowestoft so residents need to be engaged and encouraged to use it. She expressed her concern and disappointment that some of the cultural providers did not feel engaged with and reassured them that the Council would work harder on that. She also expressed the need to promote local people's role in the space and engage as widely as possible eg to local schools. She requested that Mr Garrod invite her to look round the Player's historic building. She acknowledged that there was a problem with anti-social behaviour and people going into shops with masks on etc so the Council would work with the Police on how to make people feel safer.
At 9.25pm, the Chair proposed that the Committee agree to continue the meeting after 3 hours in accordance with the Council's Constitution. This was seconded by Councillor Gooch and agreed unanimously.
The Leader reported that she was excited that Lowestoft residents would be able to see the work of Tim Cross Pottery and nine international artists in the old Post Office building.
In relation to the lease agreement for the Cultural Hub, the Economic Regeneration Manager clarified that it was very different to the First Light Festival and the winning bid had been shared with other cultural providers so they could see what the CIC had committed to and in the longer term there were benefits. In response to Councillor Jepson's query, he confirmed that the Council was not subsidising the hub. The Leader clarified that it was a charitable business and they needed to deliver as the organisation running the space.
The Chair invited final questions from Committee Members and the following responses were received:
- With hindsight Lowestoft Town Council should have been invited to attend the meeting.
- Integrated signage and connectivity around the Cultural Hub area, including to the Players Theatre, would be looked at. The town had changed so wayfinding around the whole area needed to change eg getting to the old Town Hall, to the train station, to the Seagull Theatre etc and this would be part of the separate Wayfinding Project.
- Parking also needed to be improved which would address some of the issues raised previously.
- Talking to bus companies about re-routing did not form part of the Cultural Hub project, however, a sustainable transport plan eg how do we encourage sustainable transport, was included and the Leader stated that she would discuss this with her contact at the local bus company.
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Break clauses were included in the lease should they be required.
The Chair invited the Committee to debate and make any recommendations.
Councillor Lynch stated that parking and issues around it, including signage, were clearly a high priority.
Councillor Jepson suggested that this be review again in a year's time so Members could see what progress had been made but that if the Project Team identified any risks prior to that then it be brought back to this Committee sooner.
Councillor Back stated that, if the Cultural Quarter was to succeed as a sustainable
organisation, then all the other providers need to be brought on board and have
an input because, if they were excluded, vital expertise and advice would be lost which could
mean the difference between success and failure. Councillor Topping responded that she would be happy to resurrect the Lowestoft
Cultural Leadership Board.
Councillor Cawley suggested that it might be beneficial to have a safety plan for the mass movement of people eg if all the venues had something on at once, how people move around the area was key and emergency services should be made aware etc.
Councillor Gooch firstly apologised for the omission of Lowestoft Town Council in her list of proposed invitees. She then stated that, in designing the plans, there must be scope
for a more integrated appearance of the Cultural Quarter that drew people in by colour,
design or trees so it all looked integrated and also look at public transport eg having a bus bay
on the other side of the road so there was easier access.
Councillor Lynch also pointed out that Councillors had their ECB funding which cultural groups could tap into.
RESOLVED
In the absence of any formal recommendations to Cabinet, the Leader and Cabinet Member agreed to take on board the comments made at this meeting and consider the following:
- The resurrection of the Lowestoft Cultural Leadership Board.
- A review of parking and signage generally within the Lowestoft Cultural Quarter.
- Whether a movement safety plan was needed to ensure that large numbers of people could move around the Cultural Quarter safely.
- The creation of an integrated appearance for the Cultural Quarter between the Cultural Hub, Marina and the Players so it was genuinely integrated, with better public transport links possibly including a bus bay opposite.
Councillor Jepson's suggestion for this Committee to receive an update on the Cultural Hub project and improvements to the Cultural Quarter in a year's time, or prior to that if a risk was identified by the Project Team, was also agreed.