Diss Heritage Trust asks South Norfolk Council to listen to public on plans for Victoria Road site

Critics of a scheme to build a new leisure centre in Diss have called on a council not to squander a golden opportunity to deliver something the town can be proud of.

South Norfolk Council has started demolishing the old John Grose car dealership buildings in Park Road to make way for a new £6 million leisure centre.

Under the plans, the site would include a 55-station gym, multi-use studio, spin studio and cafe, but it has been met with concern from some people, who believe the prominent site could be put to better use.

Diss Heritage Trust organised a public meeting at The Corn Hall on Monday to hear people’s views on what they want to see on the site.

Opening the meeting, trust chairman Alan Franks said: “For over a decade, we have worked to make Diss a better place to live, visit, work or run a business.

“I would like to thank South Norfolk Council for buying the site and this is not a meeting to criticise that decision.

“We are just trying to encourage the authority to make the right call for the benefit of the town by hearing what you, the residents, would like to have there.”

Mr Franks said the trust’s concerns stemmed from learning that, although an internal design team at the council was working on plans, a clear brief had not been finalised, a feasibility study had not taken place and a cost estimate was absent.

A detailed timetable of the project – secured via a freedom of information request – suggested the final design would be completed before a consultation got under way.

“That is why we decided to have this public meeting, in order to get all the feedback and send that through to the council, so it can look at what the public think and take some decisions based on that,” he said.

The trust, which has worked with the town and district councils on projects such as The Corn Hall, the town’s Heritage Triangle and No.8 Marketplace, would like to see the view of the Mere retained, while creating a clear connection from the site to the River Waveney.

“We feel this golden opportunity cannot be squandered,” added Mr Franks.

Defending its proposals for the site, the district council claims that the town has the worst health outcomes in the district, with 37 per cent of children aged 11 to 12 either overweight or obese.

Kim Carsock, cabinet member for health and leisure, said: “It has been our goal for many years to improve the leisure offer in Diss.

“We have analysed the market and found there is demand for more leisure activities in the town.

“People in Diss have the worse health outcomes than the rest of the district and have the highest levels of deprivation – clearly linked to poor health and sedentary lifestyles.”

Plans for the redundant site were launched in the same month the council reopened Diss Swim Centre following a £4 million revamp.

Refurbishment of the facility, previously known as Diss Leisure Centre, resulted in the removal of its former gym area.

But at Monday’s meeting, former town councillor Julian Mason said the council needed to think bigger when it came to the site.

He said: “I feel this is a one-off opportunity to deliver a proper leisure centre – the first such chance we’ve had for 20 years.

“We see people go to Eye and others just to play sports such as badminton – and it is ludicrous. We need a multi-use hall facility here.

“Something like this, as opposed to a gym, would cater to all ages, from young children to people of my age, and would encourage participation in sport.”

Resident Ann Reeder, who wrote in the Diss Express last week about the need for transparent decision-making when it came to agreeing the next steps for the land, told the meeting that the town deserved better.

“I feel this idea for another gym is a knee-jerk reaction by the council to its decision to redevelop the swim centre and take away the fitness centre and sauna there,” she said.

“We need to say to our town and district councils: talk, join things up and give Diss something it needs and is missing.”

A survey conducted by resident Geoff Dixon showed that from more than 700 respondents, 37 per cent of people want a community sports hall on the site, 22 per cent want a landscaped area and 21 per cent back the council’s gym idea.

Other ideas for the site include a skate park, cinema, bowling alley and a space for families.

Sixty-two per cent of people thought that providing a view of the Mere was very important, and 77 per cent want a connection from the site to the riverside walk.

Resident Mike Stapleton, one of the last to speak at the meeting, said: “This is once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something fantastic with that site, not just another shed building.

“The council should be going out to architects to design a fantastic place that we can all be proud of, which shows off the Mere and the town.”