A renewed application for heritage lottery funding for improvements to a historic part of a Norfolk town is still on track to be submitted by the summer.

The Heritage Lottery Partnership hopes to secure lottery cash for work to the Market Hill and St Nicholas Street area of Diss, which has the Corn Hall theatre, Diss Museum and St Mary's Church, as well as 130 listed and historic buildings.

One possibility was to make the area more pedestrian-friendly by widening pavements and having different coloured road surfacing to encourage motorists to give pedestrians the priority.

A 'heritage champion' has been appointed to oversee the project, with a renewed bid for nearly �1m of heritage lottery funding expected to be made by June in time for consideration in September.

The champion is responsible for identifying and establishing a core group of people responsible for looking into ways of developing the Market Hill area and for selling the Heritage Triangle brand as part of the lottery bid process.

The town council and management trust is hoping to use the lottery money to provide better bar and catering facilities at the Corn Hall including a new caf�, while facilities for performers would also be improved. A more efficient heating system was also needed.