I wish to object to the reassessment of the Parish Fields site in the GNLP from its previous (2018) designation as “unsuitable” for development to the current position where the site is described a “reasonable alternative” should there be difficulties in achieving the unreasonably large total deliverable housing commitment of 743 homes allocated to Diss in the GNLP.

No housing development on this historic green space in the heart of Diss is acceptable for the following reasons:
• Diss Town Council has recently voted not to support the development of this site and the resultant loss of any of this historic important open space;
• Diss and District Neighbourhood Plan steering group has indicated its willingness to accept evidence supporting the designation of the Parish Fields site as a “Local Green Space”, which would give it a strong measure of protection from development as part of the Neighbourhood Plan process;
• The Parish Field site is listed in the South Norfolk Local Plan as an “Important Open Local Space” in Diss, along with the Mere, Diss Park, the old gardens in Mount Street, Rectory Meadow, etc.; these open spaces are integral to the town’s character and attractiveness;
• The site is listed in the Norfolk Historic Environment Record (NHER33463) as “the only example of a detached landscape park within a town in Norfolk”;
• The site is a significant wildlife reservoir and network linked to local gardens: a bat survey undertaken in July 2019 identified that no fewer than eight species used the site for feeding; it is an excellent example of the UK biodiversity priority habitat “Wood-pasture and parkland”;
• The site was noted by Sir John Betjeman – later Poet Laureate – in his film about Diss in 1964 as integral to the character of the market town and its rural links: he described the site as “a little bit of country coming right into town”.