A big step could be taken tomorrow towards securing vital funding for improvements to the historic part of a town.

Representatives from the Heritage Triangle Partnership are set to meet Norfolk County Council officers to ask them if they would be willing to contribute an extra £100,000 towards the heritage triangle project to carry out improvements to the Market Hill and St Nicholas Street areas of Diss.

The potential changes include work on the town's Corn Hall and roads in the area and a new boardwalk across the mere.

Glyn Walden, who is chairman of Diss Corn Hall Trust, said the council was already putting in money from a maintenance budget, but this would have been contributed anyway for 'remedial work.'

He added if the council was prepared to put in the extra, this would go a long way to enabling the partnership to meet its target of raising £1.5m.

'We have to convince the county council that what we are proposing for Diss regarding the historic part of the town from the Corn Hall to the Market Place and Market Hill is not peculiar to Diss.

'It could be a blueprint for other market towns that need a facelift to draw in much larger footfall,' Mr Walden said.

In May, the partnership applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £1.5m and is due to hear in September if it has been successful.

Other councils are contributing grants to the scheme, including Diss Town Council which is putting in £250,000, while local people have also donated over £50,000.