Saltney gym makes bid to extend opening times to 24 hours a day

A gym in Saltney has made a bid to extend its opening times to 24 hours a day after promising to create new jobs. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Body Tech Fitness, based on the town’s Central Trading Estate, currently has permission to open its doors from 6am to 8.30pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm on weekends. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

However, the company, which also has a site on the Wirral, has now applied to Flintshire Council for its premises near the Wales-England border to stay open for the whole day. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

In a planning statement put forward to the local authority, representatives for the firm said it was normal for gyms to be open 24/7 and the change would allow it to take on extra staff. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

They also sought to provide reassurance about the potential impact of noise on neighbouring residents. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

They said: “Our Wirral site is operating on a 24-hour opening, which is almost an industry standard for modern gymnasiums. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Indeed, within a three-mile radius of our site there are two other gyms, Pure Gym and Modified Fitness, both operating on a 24-hour basis. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Your pre-application advice requested an acoustic test via your public protection team and that has been completed. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“We believe that this report strongly supports our case for 24-hour opening and shows there is very minimal impact on the surrounding area and falls well within the criteria of the planning legislation. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Extending opening hours will mean we can employ additional staff and present us with the opportunity to further contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of the local area.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The company said the acoustic test showed any noise from the gym at night would be “faintly audible” to residents. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

They added the overall impact would be “extremely low” given the proximity of nearby houses to the A5104.
The proposals can be viewed via the council’s website with a decision expected at a later date. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here). ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

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