Appeal lodged against refusal for west Mayo 24-hour gym

A DECISION to refuse planning permission to develop a 24-hour gym on the outskirts of Westport has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Daniel Cooley of DM Fitness and Health has appealed a decision by Mayo County Council to refuse permission 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.

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Planning permission was refused at the end of January but Mr Cooley has appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála and claimed that the local authority's decision was 'inappropriate' and cited the 'inconsistency' of the approach to this development compared to similar cases, which 'were all granted without difficulty'.

The appeal which was prepared by Castlebar-based planning consultants, The Planning Partnership, states that since the current County Development Plan was adopted in 2022, permission was granted to the applicant for a change of use of a warehouse outside Ballina into a 24-hour gym and no town centre concerns arose in this instance.

They also cited two similar cases on the Breaffy Road in Castlebar where no town centre concerns or issues over shared parking arose and they felt the same principle should also apply to Westport.

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.

In their decision to refuse the application, Mayo County Council 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'.

Fintan Morrin of The Planning Partnership stated in the appeal that the applicant does not intend to hold classes as part of the operation of the gym and that classes are a typical source of higher intensity and loud music and noise.

He also stated that many people in the catchment area require flexibility in access to gym's, as many people in Westport employed in the industrial and hospitality industries work in shifts with early or late starts and finishes.

In another reason to refuse planning, 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.

In response, the applicant also stated that the peak occupancy would be anticipated to be from ten to 25 persons and the low density arrangement is a core element of the business concept which had proved successful elsewhere in Mayo and Galway.

“In our opinion, the proposed development is consistent with local and national planning policy and would deliver a welcome enhancement to the area without generating material impacts on the amenity of the area, or town centre, and is otherwise acceptable in terms of normal planning considerations, “ the appeal stated.

An Bord Pleanála is due to make its decision in the case at the end of June.