THE East of England Development Agency has applied for planning permission to build a £5.3 million renewable energy centre in north Suffolk.The centre would be built on the household refuse site and adjoining land at Wilde Street, Lowestoft, and would include offices, conference and exhibition facilities as well as car and cycle parking areas.

By David Lennard

THE East of England Development Agency has applied for planning permission to build a £5.3 million renewable energy centre in north Suffolk.

The centre would be built on the household refuse site and adjoining land at Wilde Street, Lowestoft, and would include offices, conference and exhibition facilities as well as car and cycle parking areas.

Members of Waveney District Council's Lowestoft area development control committee are likely to discuss the application later this month or at the beginning of December.

To help qualify for vital European funding the project has to have received outline planning permission by the beginning of 2005.

Last month Suffolk County Council's executive committee agreed to support EEDA in its bid to create an offshore renewable energy centre of excellence at Lowestoft.

It is hoped that the 3,000 square metres of office accommodation could be built by 2007 and be used by companies and organisations involved in offshore and renewable energy businesses.

Lowestoft has been chosen for the project because it has a long history of supporting offshore industries, including gas exploration in the North Sea.

The renewable centre would also be close to Ness Point, Lowestoft - the most easterly point on mainland Britain.

George Bennett, EEDA's Urban Renewal Manager, said: “The East of England is ideally placed to take advantage of the benefits of renewable energy.

“I believe the centre will also have a massive positive impact on the local economy in Lowestoft both directly and indirectly as new jobs are created and investment flows into the area from this emerging and exciting new sector.”

EEDA has already confirmed half of its funding and has employed international property consultants GVA Grimley to take the project forward.

A spokesman for EEDA said: “We are now at an important stage of the project as it is vital we receive outline permission from local planners.

“We hope that the project receives the necessary approval so that we can continue going forward.”

If the project gets the go-ahead from Waveney District Council it is likely that architects will then be appointed to come up with a design for the new centre.