Diss bus terminal on Park Road would be rebuilt by the end of 2027 under a £1.25m plan, ending buses reversing onto the road. Councillors decide on 19 October.
Diss bus terminal on Park Road would be rebuilt and enlarged under a £1.25m plan that goes to South Norfolk councillors next week. Buses would no longer have to reverse out onto Park Road. Building would start in summer 2027 and finish by the end of that year.
The council’s Cabinet considers the business case at 9am on Monday 19 October. Full Council is asked to approve the money at 7pm the same day. Diss is about 15 miles south of Wymondham.
What is wrong with the terminal now
The terminal is owned by the district council. It serves four bus operators, about 73 bus movements a day and around 96,000 passenger journeys a year, according to the report.
The report lists these problems with it:
- poor access for disabled passengers
- poor lighting
- no clearly marked bus bays
- buses reversing onto Park Road
- little passenger information
- a worn-out forecourt
- nothing for cyclists
What would be built
The terminal would spread onto council-owned land just to the east. The design has the support of Norfolk County Council’s highways team and the local bus operators, the report says.
The plan includes:
- separate entrances and exits for buses
- better waiting areas for passengers
- better paving, landscaping and space for wildlife
- stronger links between buses, walking and cycling
Three trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order would probably have to come down to make the new access work. The report says that would need to be justified in the planning application, with replacement planting proposed.
The site faces the new leisure centre the council is building on the other side of Park Road.
Who pays
The council has secured £1m of Department for Transport money, handed out through Norfolk County Council. South Norfolk Council would pay the rest, up to £250,000, from its reserves. Any overrun would also fall on the council.
Councillors are asked to raise the budget for the site from £788,000 to £1.25m. The report breaks the cost down like this:
About £17,000 has been spent so far on surveys and concept designs. A further £83,000 has been agreed for detailed design and the planning application. Norfolk County Council would lease the finished terminal from the district council. The report says the scheme will not earn the council any income.
The ideas that were dropped
The council bought the former John Grose site, next to the terminal, in January 2023. Before settling on a bigger bus station it looked at other uses for the land. The report sets out why each one fell away:
| Idea | Looked at | Why it was dropped |
|---|---|---|
| Buy more land from Morrisons, to the west | March 2024 to April 2026 | Morrisons declined offers and has since put the land up for development |
| A new building for GP services | March 2024 to July 2025 | The Diss medical practices withdrew from talks |
| Commercial premises | September to December 2025 | Designs showed it would not pay |
| Housing | January to March 2026 | Designs showed it would not pay |
What happens next
If councillors agree, the council will refine the design and apply for planning permission. The timetable in the report is:
- design and planning work through the rest of 2026 and early 2027
- building work from summer 2027
- the new terminal finished by the end of 2027
The report says costs or timings could still change as the design develops.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes yet. Buses keep using the terminal as now. There is no closure date, and the report does not say how services would run while it is rebuilt. We will report that when it is published.
- You can comment when the planning application is lodged. Watch the council’s planning search, or our South Norfolk planning news page.
The same Council meeting also votes on councillors’ allowances and council tax support. Read our preview of the 19 October meeting.
Have your say