Heritage lottery chiefs are to be asked for £3million for a major project to turn the Landguard peninsula – the last place England was invaded by a foreign force – at Felixstowe into a major attraction on the east coast.

The nature reserve, port viewing area, Landguard Fort and Felixstowe Museum are already attracting 500,000-plus visitors a year.

The new cafe and visitor centre opened last summer is already on course to have had 100,000 customers inits first 12 months.

Suffolk Coastal cabinet member Andy Smith said the Discover Landguard Project aimed to provide improved physical and intellectual access, improve the educational offer, and ensure the peninsula remains a community asset and visitor attraction.

He said: “A new interpretation scheme would provide up to the minute interpretation utilising audio visual and augmented reality to provide an exciting interactive visitor experience appealing across demographics with the necessary wow factor to draw new audiences and repeat visits.

“These improvements will allow Landguard to compete with other more well known visitor attractions to create a major attraction on the east coast to the benefit of Felixstowe and the wider region.”

New facilities will include an admissions building for the fort and museum with visitor and staff toilets.

There would also be work to open up areas important to the understanding of the site – including elevated vantage points currently closed to the public, providing stunning views of the Orwell estuary across to Essex, the North Sea and Suffolk coast.

New boardwalks and ramps would allow visitors 360 degree access to the outer areas of the fort, Ravelin block and Darell’s Battery.

Mr Smith said this would also provide a greater appreciation of the impressive building techniques, military innovation and sheer scale of the nationally-important historic defences.