An application to allow a unit in the Fulwood Business Park to become a gym is in the process of being approved.
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The initial application for the Eastway employment park was for 10 commercial units with mixed commercial, commercial and service (class E), general industrial (class B2) and warehousing or distribution (class B8).
The new proposal would allow Unit 3 to be used as a gymnasium (class E (d)).
The plaintiff is James Calderbank, who operates The Transform Hub at Broughton Business Park.
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The proposed gymnasium at Eastway would offer personal training and bespoke fitness classes by appointment.
The services would be aimed at people over the age of 30 and those who do not feel comfortable in a traditional gym environment, such as obese people or members of the transgender community.
The opening hours would be between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. No more than 10 people would be booked at a time, with the gymnasium operating with three full-time and four part-time employees.
The remaining nine units at the site would continue to be used for employment.
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While the policy states that gymnasiums should ideally be located in city centers, a report to the Planning Committee of the Director of Development and Housing of Preston City Council says a test found no other suitable site, so that the request to use the gymnasium is considered acceptable.
The report notes that a gymnasium in Unit 3 would use eight percent of the activity park’s floor space and “therefore would not result in an unacceptable reduction in the type, quality or quantity of the offering. of employment sites ”.
The report also mentions that the proposed gymnasium would provide facilities for the expected influx of new residents due to the significant amount of development planned in the area.
The application (06/2021/1490) will be discussed in the town planning committee on Thursday, January 6. The report can be viewed on the Preston City Council website.
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