Aerial view of Lowestoft town with dock areas bottom right and top right. — London Road North and Station Square are part of the London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone © Historic England Archive

London Road North and Station Square are part of the London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone © Historic England Archive

London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone

The London Road Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone aims to improve the area's natural, historic and built environment quality, including public spaces and connections to other parts of the town.

It will enhance the vitality and viability of the high street through the development of retail, leisure and community space, bringing back into use long-term vacant properties and engendering pride in place through events and community engagement.

There's another Heritage Action Zone in Lowestoft: North Lowestoft Heritage Quarter HAZ

The 'London Road' boundary encompasses a significant portion of the South Lowestoft Conservation Area, in the Character Areas of The Harbour, London Road South and The Seafront. It includes the key commercial areas of London Road North, Station Square and London Road South, which contains several Grade II listed and locally listed buildings.

The built heritage is predominantly 19th-century Victorian architecture, with significant buildings including the Grade II* Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club, the Grade II listed Post Office, National Westminster Bank and Port House and the station.

Black and white line drawn map of Lowestoft with the High Streets Heritage Action Zone shaded in yellow.

How the London Road Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone will help

Through the High Street Heritage Action Zone, conservation-led regeneration will make the South Lowestoft Conservation Area a vibrant place to live, work and visit. Historic buildings will be restored and long-term vacant properties will be brought back into use. The cultural offer will be enhanced alongside improvements to public spaces and connections to other parts of town. Community engagement will encourage pride in place amongst residents, businesses owners and partners.

Stay up to date

Below you can find just some of the progress being made in the London Road Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone. For more, follow us on Twitter @HistoricEngland.

The HSHAZ is delivering an exciting programme of cultural activity with local arts and cultural organisations celebrating South Lowestoft and Kirkley’s unique heritage. Through poetry, arts, song, archival research, new walking and art trails, performances and sharing local stories, the HSHAZ will host events celebrating the Post Office and the train station, the legacy of Lowestoft as a seaside resort and influence of Sir Morton Peto, the town’s relationship with water through flooding, bridges, the sea and climate change and taking the town back in time through an exciting series of decades themed weekends.
Shops and businesses past and present have been celebrated in a new video poem. Spread a Little Kirkleyness featured stories from shopkeepers and local residents. Watch the video: Spread a Little Kirkleyness.

South Lowestoft and Kirkley Conservation Area Appraisal and the South Lowestoft Masterplan have been completed.
Grant offers are being made to a number of properties for repairs and new shopfronts.
Works to repair the Grade II listed former post office have started. Historic England has offered a grant of £485,000 to repair the building’s frontage and roof.

Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.