Bookmaker plans tipped for approval
Unpopular plans by a bookmakers to move into a prime shopping area in Diss have been recommended for approval despite objections from town councillors and traders.
Unpopular plans by a bookmakers to move into a prime shopping area in Diss have been recommended for approval despite objections from town councillors and traders.
Planning officers at South Norfolk Council believe proposals submitted by Ladbrokes to open up in Mere Street are in accordance with planning policy.
A decision on the plans will be made by the authority's south and east planning committee on Tuesday.
Ladbrokes wants to move into the former Castles greengrocers and tearooms, which has stood vacant for two years.
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The company said a betting office would 'add to the vitality on the street with an increase in footfall' and would be preferable to leaving the unit empty.
But Diss Town Council has said allowing the building's use to be changed from a shop to a betting office would rob the town's main street of vital retail space.
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Diss Business Forum has also said the loss of a prime retail unit could lead to an 'irrecoverable loss of footfall and traffic through the town centre'.
However according to a report by planning officers, the arrival of Ladbrokes would not harm the town centre due to the predominance of shops in and around Mere Street, and the high number of retailers which immediately neighbour the former Castles store.
