A new doctors surgery could be coming to Diss after it was revealed that South Norfolk Council agreed money for the project in its recent budget – taking investment in the town up to around £16 million in the coming years.
The new site is expected to be included in plans to develop the former John Grose site in Park Road, which has been earmarked for a leisure hub.
The wider project includes a multi-million pound investment in Diss Leisure Centre, which is currently under way, and upgrades to the bus station opposite the John Grose site, which was acquired by the council at the end of last year.
District councillor Graham Minshull said the latest news was an important step in securing access to health services.
“The council has put funding aside for a new surgery, we have also acquired the land, so now we are talking to the relevant health bodies,” he said. “It is something I have been pushing for many years as improved healthcare services are important as the town continues to grow.
“Keith Kiddie and I are absolutely delighted that we have managed to get this plan to where it is – it is such good news.”
Cllr Minhsull, an Armed Forces veteran and former mayor of Diss, said that, although the new surgery was at an early stage, it showed how important the authority viewed Diss.
“This is more money being ploughed into the town, which I think is now up to around £16 million in the next few years,” he said.
“That is a lot of money coming in and, with our policy of using local workers, it will also be more money invested in the local economy.
“We now have to thrash out who is going to do what, but the major building blocks – the money and the land – are now in place.”
Diss is currently served by Parish Fields Practice and Lawns Medical Practice, both in Mount Street.
