24/7 gym plan for Newbury Office Outlet

Proposal will 'result in a range of benefits' say applicants

THE former Office Outlet in Newbury could be turned into a 24-hour gym.

Royal and Sun Alliance has applied to change the use of the building at the Greenham Road Retail Park.

The application would cover a flexible use for A1 (retail) and D2 (assembly and leisure), which covers cinemas, skating rinks and gymnasiums.

The applicant said that the proposed use is to provide a home for a gym operator, but does not name the company, to provide a 24-hour gym/health and fitness facility to “meet the needs of an identified tenant and ensure the re-occupation of the unit”.

The building, on the same site as Halfords and Burger King, is approximately 70m from Newbury’s defined town centre commercial area.

But the applicant said that it had “not identified any other vacant units or sites that could potentially be considered available, suitable and viable for the proposed development”.

It says that traffic to the new gym would be lower than the previous Office Outlet building, which closed last year.

A car park occupancy survey showed “a large amount of spare capacity throughout the day”, with a minimum 82 vacant spaces at any time.

A traffic assessment said there would be fewer trips generated than the existing retail use during the weekday evening peak and Saturday lunchtime peak, with one additional trip roughly every five minutes in the weekday morning peak.

Stating its case, the applicant said: “The site is in an accessible and well-connected edge-of-centre location.

“Its appropriateness for a main town centre use has also been established.

“The proposal will result in a range of benefits, including re-occupation of the unit, the creation of new job opportunities for local residents and supporting the health and well-being of local residents.”

The gym would create 12 full-time equivalent jobs and be open 24/7, with higher noise level studio classes between 6.30am and 9pm.