South Norfolk: Octagon opens in Diss 17 October

Moving to the Horizon Building will save both Councils a significant amount of money both in capital and revenue expenditure. This saving can be reinvested to improve the services that really matter to residents and help keep council tax low.

The much lower running and maintenance costs of the new building will provide huge savings to both councils.  Future increases in energy prices will also be offset, thanks to lower running costs and the solar panels that are already installed on the Horizon building. The move will help both councils dramatically reduce their carbon footprint by around 84%, so it is much better for the environment.

The building also has existing electric car charging points that could be used as a revenue generator by making them available to residents out of hours.

The building on Broadland Business Park is easily accessible by public transport, it has plenty of parking and crucially for two thirds of the residents of South Norfolk, the Horizon Centre is the same, if not closer in distance for travel by car than South Norfolk House.

For people in the Diss and Harleston areas, the Council will be opening  an office to ensure that they continue to have the option of local face-to-face customer service.

South Norfolk Council will be opening the Octagon Building in Diss on 17 October. The office will be staffed Monday to Friday and will be available to use for pre-booked meetings and to get support accessing the Council’s wider services via the website or telephone.

Councillor Graham Minshull said:

“The Council is opening an office in the heart of our community. Residents will no longer have to travel to Long Stratton to see the Council, they can now pop in while doing their shopping.”

Councillor Keith Kiddie added:

“By opening the Octagon the Council is showing its commitment to the community. Residents will have access to council services right on the doorstep, saving them the time and expense of having to travel to Long Stratton.”