'It's just a pause' - Oswestry gym owner vows to fight on after planning setback
A fitness instructor who planned to set up a community gym in Oswestry says the business will bounce back, after Shropshire Council rejected plans for a change of use.
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In March this year, Unity 4 Performance director Dan Sissons lodged an application to convert a newly-built industrial unit at Mile House Farm in Oswestry into a small-scale gym.
Mr Sissons said the new gym was planned to open to the wider public in June this year, focusing on "small groups, and results-driven training", and applied for a change of use to allow sport, recreation, and fitness activities to take place at the unit.
However the scheme received a knockback this week when Shropshire Council's planning officers turned it down after deciding the business hadn't provided enough information about alternative sites in the town to enable the change of use.
The business' owners have described the decision as a "setback" - but have vowed to return with an improved application later this year.
"We are disappointed to confirm that Shropshire Council has refused our planning application to change the use of Unit 3, Mile House Farm into a community-focused gym facility," said Mr Sissons.
"While this decision is a setback, it is not the end of the road. We are currently reviewing the reasons for refusal and are working on strengthening our case. We remain committed to our vision and to serving the Oswestry community."
In late April officers from Shropshire Council's highways teams had written to Unity 4 to clarify parking arrangements at the unit, which has three designated spaces.
A response from the business said overflow parking would be available on the site, and that a "structured booking system" alongside a policy of encouraging gym users to walk or cycle to the facility meant "indiscriminate parking" on the site would be avoided.
"Unity 4 Gym was founded by four local coaches with the goal of creating an inclusive, welcoming space where people of all ages and backgrounds could access high-quality small-group fitness coaching. We believe in the power of movement to transform lives - not just physically, but mentally and socially too," added Mr Sissons.
"We would like to thank everyone who has supported us so far - our future members, local partners, and those who believe in what Unity 4 stands for. Your messages of encouragement mean the world to us.
"This is just a pause - not a stop."
The planning application can be viewed on the Shropshire Council planning portal using reference 25/01045/FUL.
