Gym in Newport plots expansion with new indoor exercise studio planned
A Shropshire gym has revealed its plans to convert a former archery shop into an indoor exercise studio.
The Body Barn on Moorfield Lane, Newport, has grown in popularity over the last five years.
Owner Danny Robb has now applied for permission to Telford & Wrekin Council to convert an adjacent shop building.
Mr Robb said that the new building would provide an indoor area for yoga, pilates and spin classes to take place.
“It’s an extension to the building to offer more engagement to the locals with a new service,” said Mr Robb.
“It’s offering our clients more value to the service, but also offering another opportunity as there is no spin around the area.
“Like the cycling club in the winter, if they don’t have the opportunity to cycle, they can then come and spin in an indoor area.
“We also have local schools and it gives them another facility to extend their extra-curricular use as well.
“It’s a vacant building which used to be an archery shop, it’s a barn converted into an indoor area.”
If approved the indoor exercise studio would be permitted to open 6am until 9pm on Monday to Friday and 8am until 6pm on weekends and Bank Holidays.
Mr Robb hopes that the indoor exercise studio will help encourage a different demographic of customer to use their facilities.
“Some people might want to want to try our place but not be in the outdoors,” he added.
“It’s a new indoor facility to give an opportunity to a different demographic of client really.
“It’s different to the Body Barn, it’s fully walled so it’s insulated and there’s no external noise. The barn has an open side, while the indoor facility is not hopefully going to affect the locals.”
The application submitted to the council says that if plans are approved, then the company will employ another member of full-time staff.
“We’ve been linked to the council and created a new job role for someone that they’ve just started now,” added Mr Robb.
“We’ve got two new employees starting at the barn which gives them life-long responsibilities.”
Church Aston Parish Council has chosen not to comment on the application.
One Chetwyn Aston resident who said that currently ‘loud music’ emulates from the existing Body Barn.
Mr Robb previously said that his business has installed ‘environmentally appropriate cladding’ to the outside of their Body Barn building to reduce noise pollution. He said that they also use a decibel meter which remains on to ensure noise levels remain within their limits.
The proposed indoor exercise studio will be fully enclosed.
“There’s not much noise coming from the barn on the far side, we’ve got decibel meters,” added Mr Robb.
“We are trying to look after the locals and ensure that we look after the people around us.”
Plans can be viewed on Telford & Wrekin Council’s planning portal, application number TWC/2023/0861. Any comments need to be made during the consultation phase which ends on February 9.
