towncouncil@diss.gov.uk

The deadline for the Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan community consultation survey has been extended to 5pm, Sunday 23rd August 2020.

The Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan covers the next 20 years of development across seven parishes and two local authority areas. It invites local residents to comment on issues such as where new housing should go and what type of housing is most needed.

How to take part in the survey

There are a number of different ways you can complete the survey:

• You can complete the survey online at www.ddnp.info. 

• Printed copies can be collected from the Diss Town Council Office and other local parish offices. 

• Printed copies are also available on request and can be hand delivered/collected locally if needed. Please contact your local Parish Clerk to request this. You can find the contact details of all Parish Clerks on the South Norfolk website or on local Parish Council noticeboards. 

• You can also request a paper survey on behalf of someone else. 

Completing the survey is anonymous, and there's also a chance to enter a prize draw to win shopping vouchers. The deadline to complete the survey is SUNDAY 23rd AUGUST, 5pm.

Boosting the response rate

The ‘Issues and Options’ community consultation survey was launched on July 21st 2020. To-date the survey has received around 600 responses. This represents less than 1 in 10 households in the area covered by the Plan. To give more residents the chance to respond, the deadline for completing the survey has been extended. All local residents are urged to take part in the survey so that their views are heard.

Why filling in the survey matters 

Neighbourhood plans can stipulate where housing should go and how it should look based on what the local community has said in consultations such as the one currently underway. The importance of filling in the survey is emphasised by the Plan's Steering Group.

“It is imperative that we get a return rate on this consultation that is representative of the local communities involved in the Diss & District Neighbourhood Plan area,” says Cllr David Burn, Chair of the Plan’s Steering Group. “Whether people are for or against development, or have views on other topics included in the survey such as protecting dark skies, improving footpaths and cycleways, protecting views and local historical assets, we encourage and welcome their comments. We will be sharing the results with South Norfolk Council and Mid Suffolk District Council, as well as the local community.”

“We understand that people are wary of development,” he says, “but the Government sets housing targets, often just a minimum number which may increase, and we are obliged to meet these targets. Without a Neighbourhood Plan, development to meet these targets can take place wherever the local planning authority considers the best place, and this may well be at odds with what the community think. That is why we want and need as many people to give their views on the proposed sites in Diss and other parishes, some of which have already been put forward in the wider Greater Norwich Local Plan consultation.”