Diss £6m community and leisure centre plans edge closer
A series of public consultations on a proposed new leisure centre on a former car dealership site finished this week, with council bosses saying it has helped to shape the next steps.
A £6 million community and leisure centre has been earmarked for the former John Grose site in Park Road, with South Norfolk Council, which bought the site in 2024, organising five public consultations to gather views on the plans.
If approved, the new facility would 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: “We have just come to the end of our consultation and I would like to thank everyone who has given us their feedback.
“We have had nearly 500 people who have either visited us or given their views on our website and I am happy to say that more than 95 per cent of those responses have been positive and supportive of our plans.
“I would like to thank the town council for giving us its support and it is great to be working with it on this and other projects in the town.
“We will now collate all of the responses that we have received and they will form part of our planning for the final designs of the community and leisure centre.
“This is a really exciting time for Diss and it is great to see a promise we made at the last election becoming a reality.”
The proposed investment is the second part of a £16 million regeneration plan for Diss and comes after £4 million was spent upgrading the old leisure centre, which reopened at the start of the year under the new name of Diss Swim Centre.
The third stage includes plans for a new bus station and health centre.
While the public consultations has ended, people can still have their say on the proposals by going to the South Norfolk Council website before the end of the month.
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