Memorandum by Diss Town Council (PGS 03)
1. Diss is a small rural market town on
the Norfolk/Suffolk border consisting of some 7,000 residents,
with a catchment area of up to 40,000 residents from the surrounding
area from within both Norfolk and Suffolk.
2. Diss Town Council provides a whole range
of facilities and services to this population including regular
markets, a cemetery, Diss Park including play facilities and community
events, the Mere (one of the defining features of the town) and
its associated responsibilities, the Sports Ground and Pavilion,
a Skateboard Park, allotments, the Corn Hall, a Cricket Ground,
the War Memorial, a large and ancient Village Green, maintenance
of the Closed Churchyard, some public footpaths and Manorial Rights,
and a Community Information Centre in partnership with other local
authorities.
3. The majority of the funding for the Town
Council to carry out these activities comes from the 2,000 households
that are precepted through their Council Tax.
4. These precept payers are therefore funding
services and facilities to the whole catchment area.
5. Diss Town Council relies heavily on funds
from s106 agreements to provide funding for improving the services
it provides to the people of Diss.
6. The loss of this funding without any
replacement options would be severely detrimental to the quality
of life for the residents of Diss.
7. The factors which should be taken into
account in determining the rate of the supplement and the level
at which it should be set include:
— The size of the population from which
it is generated.
— The level of services provided by
the third tier Council ie the Town or Parish Council in the locality
in which it is generated.
— The identified areas of local need
ie through the Parish Plan.
— The size of the development and the
impact it will have on current infrastructure in the locality.
— Whether the development will bring
any benefits (ie revenue, employment) to the parish.
8. How the supplement should reflect subsequent
uses such as social housing:
The supplement should reflect identified areas
of local need such as:
— Infrastructure including schools
provision, doctor's surgeries, road networks.
— Environmental considerations.
— Identified local projects.
9. How the revenue from the supplement should
be distributed and appropriate uses:
— The revenue should be distributed
to the local area from which it is generated.
— The supplement should be specifically
aimed at improving the facilities in which the development is
created.
— It should reflect local improvements
from local developments.
— The uses should be appropriate to
the uniquely identified needs of the local area.
— It should be distributed by a local
body such as a second tier Council which has knowledge of the
uniqueness of the area from which the supplement was generated.
10. Whether and, if so, how the planning
gain supplement should be used to encourage development of brownfield
sites:
— Brownfield sites should be encouraged
through the Local Plan and other relevant Planning regulations.
— If the brownfield site issue is in
any way going to impact on the local gain from local developments,
then it should not be included at all within the supplement framework.
11. The potential impact of the supplement
on s106 arrangements negotiated through the planning system:
— If the supplement is to be considered
in conjunction with s106 agreements, then it will have a noticeable
impact on the funds available through the s106 agreements, to
the local community for improving facilities and amenities.
— If the supplement is to replace the
s106 agreements then there is a very strong case to ensure that
these funds are distributed locally for the benefit of the community
in which it is generated.
— Failing that, the government needs
to take an in-depth look at the way funding is distributed to
local service providers. After all, in the case of Diss, why should
the precept from 7,000 residents pay for the facilities and services
that benefit upwards of 40,000 people?
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