Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan reaches its Regulation 14 Consultation
23 June 2021
The Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan (DDNP) is the neighbourhood development plan covering Diss, Roydon, Burston & Shimpling, Scole, Palgrave, Stuston and Brome & Oakley. It has now reached the next stage in its development – the formal Regulation 14 Consultation, which is now live and will close after six weeks.
Councillor Simon Olander, Leader of Diss Town Council, says “This formal consultation is an important milestone in the development of the Plan and is the first time the complete draft has been shared with the people who've helped create it – and that’s all those who live and work within the seven parishes.”
The DDNP has allocated sites for required development within the formally designated plan area following two consultations with residents during 2020. These are addressed in detail within the Plan but it also includes many other issues of interest to the community.
There are Growth and Infrastructure Policies covering climate change, green infrastructure, cycling and walking networks, Diss Leisure Centre, the regeneration of Diss town centre and the future redevelopment of the Waveney Quarter formerly known as ‘the south side of Park Road’. These policies range from the urgent need to keep drainage ditches clear to lessen the damage caused by flooding, to the exciting plans for a new 21st century leisure centre for the area. It covers the need to protect and encourage the dark skies outside of Diss to help reverse the drastic decline in insect populations and for our own pleasure when we want to stargaze.
It also includes plans for improving the cycling and walking routes to make it easier for us to move around our parishes and between them without using a car. And there are Protection Policies for proposed Local Green Spaces, Important Views, and the Historic Environment within each parish. These policies give some protection against inappropriate development that would affect the amenity value of those assets.
David Burn, chairman of the DDNP Steering Group, urges all residents of the seven parishes to read the consultation and give their feedback via the survey on the website: “We have been gathering community opinion at all stages of the development of this plan and now we have it in this complete draft form. So we hope that all residents of the seven parishes will take part in this present consultation.”
The draft of the complete DDNP and the many documents that make up its extensive Evidence Base are available to view at www.ddnp.info along with an online feedback questionnaire.
Anyone who has difficulty accessing it on the website should contact their parish council’s clerk for assistance.
Posters, fliers and banners will be going up across the parishes to catch the attention of all who live or work in the DDNP area.
There will be three open days at Diss Corn Hall, on 2, 3, 4 July, for people to view display information on the Draft Plan and talk to DDNP Steering Group parish representatives. There's an additional open day on Sunday 18 July from 1 – 7 pm in Roydon Village Hall with Roydon's Steering Group parish reps.
Take part in this local consultation and help to influence the future of Diss and its surrounding villages: https://www.ddnp.info/regulation-14-consultation
