Campus and the Community
What will Waveney Campus mean for residents of Lowestoft and what will be the impact on the area?
The transformation of a key waterfront site, more jobs, cost savings to the taxpayer and more efficient public services.
The proposed development will transform the largely under-utilised waterfront into an attractive area of public space. It will act as a catalyst for attracting jobs and stimulating wider regeneration, providing a sound basis for the sustainable future of the local economy.
The Campus is designed to reduce costs to the taxpayer and to preserve and promote new jobs. The councils will be able to offer more efficient services with direct and easy-access one-stop shops for residents in town centres. As part of the same project Waveney District Council will be improving customer access points in Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth and Southwold.
The complex is intended to be an exemplar for “build quality” and environmental sustainability and a facility that staff, customers and the local community can take pride in.
Cefas is an internationally renowned marine research and consultancy centre. It is the largest employer of research scientists in the sub-region and makes a very substantial contribution to the economy of Lowestoft. The Campus will house this world-class science organisation employing more than 300 scientists, together with post-graduate students from the region and from across Europe working closely with the University Campus Suffolk (UCS) and the worldwide network that Cefas is connected into. Cefas plans to work with the UCS to develop post-graduate research programmes that will be educational but also lead to new high-tech business creation.
What will be the impact on employment in Lowestoft?
The Campus will house approximately 1,000 staff of which around 400 will be from Cefas. Some 80 jobs will be created in Lowestoft from the relocation of Cefas’ Burnham-on-Crouch laboratory.
Cefas will also continue to create new jobs from future commercial contracts. The regeneration of the area will be a catalyst for further economic growth and employment in the area.
At the Campus, it is estimated that Cefas will contribute some £30 million to the local economy.
Will the public have access to the development?
Yes. The project will open up and restore the quayside to provide an attractive space that will start the process of opening up Lake Lothing to the public. The goal of a public footway will provide access along the waterfront.
Will the Campus lead to more traffic in that part of Lowestoft?
Possibly, but the South Lowestoft Relief Road was designed to accommodate additional development in southern Lowestoft. The partners will have a green travel plan to maximise the use of sustainable travel and reduce the use of individual car journeys. There will also be extensive provision for cyclists, for example with cycle racks and changing facilities on site.
As the Campus is intended to house back-office functions there will be few public visitors to the site so large volumes of extra traffic are not anticipated throughout the day.