Diss leisure facilities to receive overhaul if John Grose site sale is completed

Upgraded leisure facilities are part of a plan that will help Diss “buck the trend” of empty buildings.

Graham Minshull, who represents Diss and Roydon on South Norfolk Council, hopes the project, which would see the former John Grose car dealership in Park Road converted into a leisure hub, will be another step in the right direction following the recent reoccupation of the former Beales store in town.

While the sale of the John Grose site has not yet been completed, it is hoped that it will be confirmed later this month or in early September – paving the way for work to begin in early or mid-2024.

Options for additions to the gym within the site are still under consideration, but the wider project will also involve investing around £1 million in Diss Leisure Centre’s swimming pool and an upgrade to the bus station situated opposite the John Grose site.

“It’s a busy time for us as we look to improve leisure facilities in the town,” said Cllr Minshull.

“Improvements have certainly been in the works for some time, but our rainy day fund was washed out by Covid, so it was delayed.

“We have wanted a new leisure centre for Diss for years and, while plans are dependent on the sale going through, our next step would then be talking to sports bodies to formulate designs and making sure we offer the right mix that won’t clash with local businesses.

“It would really be good news for the town and would buck the trend of empty buildings in towns. We want buildings to be filled and back in use quickly, which we’ve seen happen in the Market Place recently with the former Beales building.”

The swimming pool in the town’s existing leisure centre will be upgraded under the plans, with reprofiling and retiling works pencilled in.

Improvements to the town’s bus station will also help to modernise the area, with the existing station having been given little attention since it was built almost 80 years ago.

A state-of-the-art leisure centre in Diss will provide a long-awaited upgrade for the town, with the prospect first raised back in early 2015.

“It is certainly one of the big things that people in this town are always asking for,” said Cllr Minshull.

“There is a particular need to provide this type of facility for young people in the town, and we hope this project can move forward and fulfill that.

“The new location, if we can secure it, will offer wonderful views across the Mere, and will allow us the possibility of working with other organisations in a shared space, which is something we are looking at.

“We can’t say for certain what would be built alongside the gym just yet, because the next steps would be to look at the interior of the building to start planning that, which obviously wouldn’t happen until any sale is completed.

“I do hope that it does move forward, though, and then we can look forward to seeing it open in the future.”

John Grose Ford dealership closed its doors on July 28, having been based at its Park Road site since 1996.

Announcing the closure, John Grose chairman Ian Twinley said the move to electrification, together with the advances in technology allowing customers to view and purchase vehicles remotely, had led the retailer to reassess the number of premises it will require in the future.

“Following a strategic review, the decision was made to close the Ford dealership at Park Road, Diss,” he said.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their valued custom. John Grose began trading at the Park Road site in 1996, so this is a site with a great deal of history in it for us at John Grose, but we hope we can welcome people into to one of our other dealerships in the future.”