Diss Community Partnership

Jeanette Buirski:

I also live a lot of the time in London, so Diss does not seem such a consumer oriented society. However, the transport in the country (or lack of it) makes reliance on the car a necessity. In LOndon, I hardly ever drive and use public transport. This factor influences, almost underpins,most other aspects of life with respect to the sustainability of Diss as a merket town and a hub of local activity. Revival of local shopping and local support for e.g. Diss Corn Hall events is still ( I guess) dependent on a wider geographic area than Diss town so regular buses would have to be adopted. The number of large supermarkets has ripped the heart out of local food and other home accessories shopping in Diss. Mere St is a rather depressing street with lots of charity shops. Limiting the food miles would knock out, or very substantially change, the supermarket scene, and give local producers a better deal. But while Diss services a wide rural area, it will need to supply in bulk, so any action must be co-ordinated with other towns. The one-off tasteful shops in the old town would be a useful start for reviving the historic area. Add a few good coffee shops and some street entertainment. recycling and energet conservation would be promoted and enabled. Diss could adopt as a USP, industrial parks for eco-friendly business. And of course get people walking and pedalling – but how far is this feasible with the speed of life we live at the moment.