Fitness fanatics in Newton Abbot will have a new gym to work out in once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Plans submitted by budget chain The Gym to replace the former Floorsave store on Wolborough Street have been approved by Teignbridge District Council under delegated powers.

The Gym has 160 locations across the UK, including ones in Plymouth and in Exeter, and documents with the application outlined how they provide a high quality but cheaper option for health and fitness activity, with 24 hour opening hours providing flexibility for its customers.

Following the application’s submission in December 2019, there had only been three letters of support compared to 47 letters of objection, mainly concerned about whether Newton Abbot required another gym, how the 24 hour opening will impact adversely on local residents and regarding safety of highway access and parking issues in the area.

But Devon County Council’s highways team issued no objection to the plans, nor did Newton Abbot Town Council, while a noise restriction condition to ensure noise levels are 5dB below background noise levels will be applied at all times of the day and night to avoid any loss of amenity to neighbouring dwellings.

When the application was submitted, a statement with the scheme said: ’The Gym aims to increase access to health and fitness activities to a wide demographic to encourage and improve health by providing a low cost and flexible gym membership option. On average, 35 per cent of The Gym’s members have not been to a gym before with The Gym attempting to provide its facilities to a much wider market.’

The application says that over the last ten years the health and fitness sector has witnessed a major structural shift with the development of a new ’low-cost’ sector.

The Gym would include a range of cardio-vascular (rowing, running, cycling) and resistance (weights) equipment, and music will be limited to provide low-level background music only.

While it would open 24 hours a day, the application says that only nine per cent of visits to its locations across the country are made between 11pm and 6am, mainly on an individual basis, and that as they operate in more than 160 locations, they have well-established and tried and tested measures to ensure that there are no harmful noise impact or disturbance on surrounding occupiers.

Calling for Teignbridge to give the thumbs up to the application for the change of use of the land, the application concluded: ’The property has been vacated by Floorsave and an alternative retail occupier has not come forward despite marketing.

’The proposal for The Gym encourages health and wellbeing by providing a new commercial leisure use to meet current need and would improve the health and fitness of residents in the surrounding community, as well as making a contribution to the local economy through the creation of new jobs.’

Teignbridge District Council planners under delegated powers approved the scheme for the change of use of the building last week.

by daniel clark

local democracy reporter

Plans submitted by budget chain The Gym to replace the former Floorsave store on Wolborough Street have been approved by Teignbridge District Council under delegated powers.

The Gym has 160 locations across the UK, including ones in Plymouth and in Exeter, and documents with the application outlined how they provide a high quality but cheaper option for health and fitness activity, with 24 hour opening hours providing flexibility for its customers.

Following the application’s submission in December 2019, there had only been three letters of support compared to 47 letters of objection, mainly concerned about whether Newton Abbot required another gym, how the 24 hour opening will impact adversely on local residents and regarding safety of highway access and parking issues in the area.

But Devon County Council’s highways team issued no objection to the plans, nor did Newton Abbot Town Council, while a noise restriction condition to ensure noise levels are 5dB below background noise levels will be applied at all times of the day and night to avoid any loss of amenity to neighbouring dwellings.

When the application was submitted, a statement with the scheme said: ’The Gym aims to increase access to health and fitness activities to a wide demographic to encourage and improve health by providing a low cost and flexible gym membership option. On average, 35 per cent of The Gym’s members have not been to a gym before with The Gym attempting to provide its facilities to a much wider market.’

The application says that over the last ten years the health and fitness sector has witnessed a major structural shift with the development of a new ’low-cost’ sector.

The Gym would include a range of cardio-vascular (rowing, running, cycling) and resistance (weights) equipment, and music will be limited to provide low-level background music only.

While it would open 24 hours a day, the application says that only nine per cent of visits to its locations across the country are made between 11pm and 6am, mainly on an individual basis, and that as they operate in more than 160 locations, they have well-established and tried and tested measures to ensure that there are no harmful noise impact or disturbance on surrounding occupiers.

Calling for Teignbridge to give the thumbs up to the application for the change of use of the land, the application concluded: ’The property has been vacated by Floorsave and an alternative retail occupier has not come forward despite marketing.

’The proposal for The Gym encourages health and wellbeing by providing a new commercial leisure use to meet current need and would improve the health and fitness of residents in the surrounding community, as well as making a contribution to the local economy through the creation of new jobs.’