Battery Green Demolition Begins in Lowestoft

As part of a multi-million pound redevelopment, work to partially demolish the former Battery Green multi-storey car park in Lowestoft is now underway.

The demolition work is scheduled for completion at the end of September and will make way for the Cultural Quarter project.

The Cultural Quarter project, which when complete will be known as Battery Green, is one of five transformational regeneration projects which received £24.9m from the Government’s Towns Fund in 2022 and will see the redevelopment of East Suffolk Council’s current Customer Services Centre and the former Battery Green multi-storey car park.

It is hoped that the development will provide a new cultural and community hub with studio space for creative businesses together with a leisure complex and restaurant.

Harte Demolitions Ltd have been on site since May carrying out vital works to get the site ready for demolition. This includes making a new delivery service area for Peacocks through the rear service yard area of Sports Direct, stripping out the building contents and investigating foundations works for the new buildings. With these works now complete, demolition can now begin.

As part of the demolition process, Harte have generated £3,500 from selling scrap material from the site and have arranged for this to be donated to local foodbanks, through the Council’s Communities Team.

Cllr Toby Hammond, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport said: “It is excellent to see work progressing at Battery Green, with the start of demolition marking another major step forward with this significant project. Along with other regeneration projects which are also underway across the town, Battery Green will bring new facilities into Lowestoft, attract more visitors and businesses to the area and enhance the town for the benefit of local residents.”

Brendan Kelly of Harte said: “Harte are delighted to be working on this project. It’s been great to get to the point where the car park structure, which offers nothing to the town landscape, can finally be demolished. We have enjoyed engaging with local businesses and we want to help support the locally community so we will shortly be donating to Lowestoft local food bank and community pantries. We really look forward to seeing the final development come to live to create a new vibrant cultural quarter for Lowestoft.”

Construction on the Cultural Quarter is currently scheduled to begin during the winter.

The Cultural Quarter project is just one of many regenerative projects underway in the town, with a new seafront complex being built at Jubilee Parade and improvements at Royal Plain, Royal Green and South Quay Wharf.

An artist impression of what the final project could look like.