New, modern 24-hour gym could soon be opening in Ashfield

The independent, family-run business, Simply Gym, based in Gloucestershire, wants to convert two warehouse-type units (numbers three and four) at the Albert Martin Business Park on Kirkby Road in Sutton into the 24-hour gym.

Unit three, which measures 1,950 square metres, is currently used for retail, while unit four, which spans 614 square metres, is used as a training facility by a local college for bricklaying apprenticeships.

But under the plan, they would be merged together to create “a modern flexible fitness facility, providing continuous access to members”.

Simply Gym was founded in 2011 and has expanded to such an extent that it now operates eight gyms across the Midlands, including its flagship facility at Cheltenham.

It says it prides itself on “providing a comfortable environment that welcomes everyone to exercise, offering no-contract memberships and high-quality customer-service”.

A planning application has been submitted to Ashfield District Council by Jonny Taylor, of Simply Gym, and is backed by the firm’s agent for the scheme, Design Business Interiors, a Wigan-based company that specialises in gym fit-outs.

A statement says the business park sits “within an established employment area characterised by industrial and commercial uses”.

A shutter at the front of the units would be replaced by a glazed entrance, but the conversion would not lead to any increase in the “floorspace, footprint or height of the building”.

The internal layout would create a “safe and efficient” experience for gym-users, with changing rooms at the rear and studio and training spaces clearly zoned.

The statement says the gym would generate only “low levels of external noise”, with overnight usage expected to be “very low”.

Pin-controlled access would be “via membership systems” and “full-height turnstiles”, with CCTV cameras and “strong surveillance” cutting the risk of anti-social behaviour.

The gym was expected to create six full-time jobs and two part-time jobs, and it would be staffed during all peak periods.

The site would have 165 parking spaces, plus five for disability vehicles and 20 for cycles, and also EV (electric vehicle) charging stations.

There were bus stops within 100 metres of the gym, and residents of a nearby housing estate would be able to walk to the site.

In conclusion, the statement says the gym would be an ideal “re-use of existing commercial buildings”, and the scheme had been “robustly assessed in terms of noise, transport and safety”.

It also pointed to the well-established success of other 24-hour gyms in the area, including Anytime Fitness at Sutton and Mansfield, PureGym in Mansfield and JD Gyms at Mansfield Woodhouse.

"These facilities operate successfully within comparable urban and commercial environments, with no evidence of harm relating to highways impact and crime or disorder,” adds the statement.

"This confirms that 24-hour gym use is accepted and established in the locality.”

The council’s planning officers are currently considering the proposal and are hoping to make a decision or recommendation by their deadline date of Wednesday, July 8.

THE details of many planning applications can be found in public notices advertised by local and regional newspapers. To catch up on all the latest public notices, go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/