Welcome

Griston is a village and civil parish in the Wayland area of the Breckland district within the English county of Norfolk.

It covers an area of 5.62 km2 (2.17 sq mi) and had a population of 1,206 in 206 households at the 2001 census, increasing to a population of 1,540 in 246 households at the 2011 Census.

Our district council is currently Breckland District Council.

The village has a unique place in British folklore as the home of the ‘Babes In The Wood’ fable.

It has a church in the name of St. Peter and St. Paul, a well-regarded pub ‘The Waggon and Horses’, and a residential care home ‘Thorp House’. The village footprint is dominated by HMP Wayland, a category ‘C’ prison operated by the Ministry of Justice.

Griston lies between the market town of Watton, where the nearest high school is Wayland Academy, and a fellow Wayland village of Caston, where the nearest primary school is Caston CE VA Primary School.​

From 1937 to 2012, Griston was the home of RAF Watton, whose footprint was 90% inside the parish.

The village is served by the 81, 82, X2 & X3 bus services linking it to Watton, Thetford, Attleborough and Norwich.

Planning

The Parish Council is a Statutory Consultee on planning matters and is invited to comment on all planning applications affecting the village.

The local planning authority (LPA – in our case, Breckland District Council, plus rare applications to Norfolk County Council) generally allows us up to six weeks to respond to a planning application.  Applications are considered at our next meeting and Planning is included on the agenda as a standing item. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings and may speak during the public participation period of the meeting to give their views. All parishioners are also encouraged to provide their own comments on Breckland’s online planning portal.

While the overall decision belongs to the LPA, the Parish Council’s local knowledge and interpretation of the planning process means that its views are more likely to be heard by the planning authority, so long as the Parish Council provides valid planning ‘material considerations.’

The Parish Council’s comments can be found on Breckland District Council’s planning pages.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the clerk at Clerk@griston-pc.gov.uk or write to

Griston Parish Clerk
155 West End,
Costessey,
NR8 5AN

Our Responsibilities

• Representing the views of our Parishioners as a whole to other governmental and community organisations
• Commenting as a Statutory Consultee on planning applications
• Some footpaths and verges
• Most street lighting
• The Queen Elizabeth II Field, including the play equipment
• ​Grass cutting in the Recreation Ground and church grounds
• Litter and dog bins
• Public seating
• Bus stops and shelters
• Operating the SAMS2 speed and ‘Slow Down’ indicator

Next Meeting

TUESDAY 14 APRIL 2026, 19:00-21.00

Parish Council Meeting are held in the GFSL Meeting Room in the boiler house complex at HMP Wayland.

There is ample free parking.

All Agendas are be posted on the parish council noticeboards and on this website under the ‘Council’ tab. 

All are welcome.