South Norfolk Council releases public consultation dates for Diss community and leisure centre in Park Road

The dates for public consultations into a new community and leisure centre in Diss have been announced.

The new £6 million centre which is being built by South Norfolk Council, will go onto the former John Grose site in Park Road.

The site was purchased by the council in 2024 as it said it wanted to improve its leisure offering in the town.

Initial plans include a gym, accessible toilets and changing facilities, a bookable community space for classes, a café and soft play area.

Cabinet member Kim Carsok said: “This is an exciting step forward for this ambitious project and we are now at the point where we can share our ideas and designs.

“The new community and leisure centre is a huge investment by the council that underpins our priority to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents and shows our ongoing support for one of our most important market towns.”

The dates for the consultation events, where residents will get a chance to look at plans are as follows:

► Friday, April 25, between 9am and 1pm, at Diss Market Place.

► Wednesday, April 30, and Thursday, May 1, at the Corn Hall in St Nicholas Street in the afternoon and evening.

► Tuesday, May 6, and Wednesday, May 7, between 9am and 5pm, at the Octagon building in Mere Street.

The multi-phase regeneration project for Diss, said to be in the region of £16 million, started with improvements to its swim centre in Victoria Road.

This included the removal of its gym, which has to be a part of the new leisure centre due to a stipulation in a £1.1 million grant awarded by the Greater Norwich Growth Board, source heat pumps and solar panels in its roof.

The next phase is the development of the John Grose site and then the third includes plans for a new bus station and health centre.

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