The planned restoration of the Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth has received a grant of £12.3m.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the money to Great Yarmouth Borough Council to restore the building on the town's seafront to its former glory.
The grant - combined with £4m from the government's Town Deal fund - means the final stages of the design will begin in the coming weeks ahead of the restoration work.
The Winter Gardens is the last surviving Victorian ironwork glass house on a seaside promenade in the UK.
In a previous life, it was a symbol of the town's golden era, hosting a range of entertainment from concerts and dancing, to roller-skating and arcades.
Safety fears forced the council to close the building in 2008 - but now the so-called "People's Palace" will be brought back to life as a year-round, free attraction billed "as a place of celebration, enjoyment, well-being and relaxation for all."
The project secured planning permission in November and plans include community spaces, cafes and opportunities for leisure, entertainment and learning.
READ MORE: Look inside Great Yarmouth's Winter Gardens as plans move towards securing its future
Councillor Carl Smith, borough council leader, said: ‘’We are absolutely delighted The National Lottery Heritage Fund is providing the Winter Gardens project with this additional funding.
"Such an important and complex piece of work would simply not be possible without the Heritage Fund showing this level of support for the vision for the building."
He said the Winter Gardens is an integral part of the town's history and loved by generations of people.
"This exciting regeneration will be a stunning addition to what we are able to offer residents and visitors and demonstrates our commitment to regeneration in the borough," Mr Smith added.
It is hoped the work will be completed by 2027.
As part of the development of the plans for the Winter Gardens, the council has been working with the local community to share its plans for the project and listen to input and ideas from the public to help ensure the revamp is the best it can be.
Community consultation around the proposals included Great Yarmouth Civic Society hosting a special presentation about the project and the council’s team met with the Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society to update people on designs for the building.
Groups of young people were also given tours of the site and took part in projects to discover what they wanted to see as part of the revamp.
The designs for the repair and refurbishment of the Winter Gardens were developed by the design team at architects Burrell Foley Fischer (BFF), in close collaboration with the council, other specialist partners and stakeholders.
Once work gets underway, the project will provide skills and training for 95 young people including those not in employment, education or training. There will also be six paid placements in heritage and conservation, and six paid apprenticeships in hospitality, catering, business skills and horticulture.
Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “This is an exciting and pioneering project, part of our Heritage Horizons programme which focuses on supporting transformation in heritage.
"The Winter Gardens holds more than a century of history within its soaring cast iron frame, and this award enables it to be conserved and valued, for now and the future.
“The renovation leads the way for the Heritage Fund’s strategic ambition to champion large-scale and long-term innovative solutions to strengthening heritage to be adaptive, financially resilient and contributing to the community and economy of Great Yarmouth."
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