New Deeside gym granted permission to operate 24 hours a day

A ‘state of the art’ gym in Deeside has been granted permission to operate 24 hours a day.

Énergie Fitness in Queensferry, currently opens between 6am and 11pm midweek and 8am to 8pm at the weekend.

Flintshire Council has given the green light for the gym to increase the operating hours to meet the “growing demands of the local population particularly those who work shifts.”

The move will also see the creation of another full-time job.

Énergie Fitness took over a 6500 sqft retail unit on Deeside Retail Park which was occupied by Poundworld store.

The rapidly growing franchise gym operator has over 100 clubs across the UK, it’s half-million pound Deeside venture opened in May creating 10 jobs locally.

Énergie Fitness Deeside is owned and run by Glyn Stephens and his wife, Nathalie.

Glyn said: “Deeside is a well-known manufacturing hub with several shift workers who work around the clock.

Since opening, and after engaging with our members and the local community, we feel the demand is extremely high for a flexible fitness centre to accommodate the diverse shift patterns amongst the local population.

By going 24-hours, it would also lead to the creation of another full-time job and provide an element of natural surveillance around the retail park at night, which are of course other major benefits of the proposal”

There were no objections to the proposal from Councillors or local residents.

In notes published on the council website, Flintshire planning case officer Mr J Beattie said:

“…it should be noted that the unit [Gym] operates a different sort of use than its neighbours and it is reasonable that the facilities they offer will be in demand from the public outside of the normal hours.

Furthermore it should be noted that the retail units are likely to receive deliveries outside of their trading hours. Therefore there will be a low level use of the site even after the 11pm time.

“the development would not be significantly detrimental to local residential amenities”.

Whilst there are residential properties to the South of Chester Road East these are a reasonable distance away and with a main road between them and the site.

I do not consider that the extended use of this premises would adversely affect neighbouring amenity.

I recommend accordingly.”

Nathalie Stephens said; “We are delighted that the council has approved our increased opening hours and that they see the value it brings to the local community.

We hope to implement new hours for January 2020 and therefore recruitment will start straight away.”

For more information visit www.energiefitness.com/deeside