New £6.1m Norfolk leisure centre gets major cash boost

Fifteen projects in places including Norwich, Diss, Wymondham, Horsford, Long Stratton, Hethersett and Aylsham are to get a share of just over £4m.

The money comes from a pot of cash councils built up through a levy imposed on developers.

The Greater Norwich Growth Board (GNGB), made up of representatives from Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, Broadland District Council and South Norfolk Council, named the projects as those to benefit from its Infrastructure Investment Fund at a meeting on Thursday (November 28).

The projects which will benefit are:

Diss Leisure Centre (£1.1m)

A visualisation of the new leisure centre in Diss (Image: Saunders Boston)

The project will deliver a new, two-storey leisure centre on the old John Grose car dealership site, south of Diss Mere, which was bought by South Norfolk Council last year.

The £6.1m facility will include a 55-station gym, multi-use studio, and spin studio with supporting facilities, as well as a café and car parking.

Work will also be done to create a European-style public plaza overlooking Diss Mere.

Broadland Country Park Café & Visitor Centre (£871,210)

The proposed new visitor centre at Broadland Country Park (Image: Broadland District Council)

The money will go towards a new £1.6m visitor centre at Broadland District Council's 140-acre Broadland Country Park in Horsford.

It will include a new visitor centre with a café, toilets, and indoor seating areas, as well as enhanced parking facilities with electric vehicle charging, a highway crossing and footpath.

Sweetbriar Marshes (£546,116)

Sweetbriar Marshes (Image: Denzil Dean)

Norfolk Wildlife Trust opened the 90-acre nature reserve, off Norwich's ring road, to the public in May.

The money will go towards a £1.9m project which will further open up the site to the public, including new accessible routes, parking, toilets and facilities for visiting schools.

Lion Wood (£448,820)

Lion Wood in Thorpe Hamlet (Image: Simon Finlay)

The money will go towards a £569,000 project to improve the Thorpe Hamlet nature spot.

It will make it more accessible, with new paths and improvements to existing routes.

Wymondham Baptist Church Community Space (£250,000)

Wymondham Baptist Church (Image: Google)

The boost will help with a £577,000 scheme for a 128-square-metre extension to Wymondham Baptist Church.

The eco-efficient extension will include a spacious reception and open plan area that meets accessibility standards, to serve as a community space.

It will allow expansion of services currently offered, including a community café, foodbank, several support groups, and advice from partners such as Citizens Advice and Shelter.

Wherryman’s Way: Bramerton Improvements (£221,962)

Wherryman's Way at Bramerton (Image: Broads Authority)

The 38-mile Wherryman's Way trail, which links Norwich city centre to Great Yarmouth will be improved in the Bramerton area, with a new bridge, interpretation boards and footpath improvements.

Rothbury Park, Wymondham (£144,449)

A £184,000 project aims to transform the Wymondham park from an underused, inaccessible and outdated green space into a valued leisure space.

It would include two new paths, play equipment, a new seating area and cycle stands.

Buckenham Ancient Woodland (£104,095)

The project will make improvements at Buckenham Wood in Strumpshaw, restoring, enhancing, and conserving the ancient woodland.

It will include improved footpaths, cycle stands, benches, interpretation boards, fencing and gates.

Library improvements (£476,000)

Improvements will be made to libraries in Aylsham, Long Stratton, Diss, Hethersett, Sprowston, Earlham and St William's Way in Thorpe St Andrew.

Sue Holland, leader of Broadland District Council (Image: Sue Holland)

Sue Holland, leader of Broadland District Council and chairman of the GNGB said: "This is tangible evidence of the benefits that our communities receive from planned growth in the Greater Norwich area. 

"It’s really exciting to see so many ambitious and forward thinking projects being supported and this investment will ensure that critical infrastructure is delivered that makes real and lasting improvements to the lives of our residents.

"I would like to congratulate everyone for their work in getting these projects off the ground."