Planning refused for 24-hour gym in west Mayo

A PROPOSAL to develop a 24-hour gym on the outskirts of Westport has been refused planning permission.

Mayo County Council turned down a planning application by Daniel Cooley of DM Fitness and Health to convert a two-storey retail warehouse along the old N5 road at Drumindoo, Westport into a two-storey 24-hour gym.

DM Fitness and Health who already operate two 24-hour gyms in Claremorris and Ballina had planned to move into the warehouse located adjacent to A O'Malley Carpets & Furniture.

However, planners with Mayo County Council expressed concern with the location of the site which is 2km from Westport town and claimed the development of a large gym at the proposed location would be contrary to the objectives of the Westport Local Area Plan.

The applicants stated in the planning application that the ground floor of the proposed gym would be 474 square metres and consist of weight machines and treadmills and exercise bikes while the first floor would consist mainly of exercise machines.

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They added that the busy times for the gym would usually be between 6am and 8am and 6pm and 9 pm and they did not envisage that there would be any increase in traffic volume coming from the site than there currently is.

The council planners disagreed with this assessment and expressed concern that the proposed new gym may result in a significant increase in intensity of customers/clients accessing the site at all times of the day and night.

The planners noted that the internal layout of the gym shows 64 individual fitness machines in addition to areas for weights and lifting and the 17 existing parking spaces were 'far below' the minimum required.

“The site is restricted in size, and it is extremely unlikely that any proposal for parking will be significant enough to provide anything close to the minimum number of spaces required. The location of the proposed site approximately 2km from Westport town will result in gym users travelling by car to the facility with the potential for traffic hazard due to cars parking on the hard shoulder of the R309 [road formerly known as the N5].

“It is considered that the applicants will not be able to satisfactorily deal with the parking issue by way of a request for further information. Therefore, it is recommended to refuse permission for a change of use without seeking any further information from the applicants,” the planning report stated.

The planners also noted that a 24-hour gym might lead to late night activity which may disturb residents' sleep while 'bright lights and constant traffic can disrupt a residential area's tranquility'. “Therefore, it is recommended to refuse permission for a change of use to a 24-hour gym in this instance,” the report read.