Second venue planned for City Of Preston Gymnastics Club as numbers grow - creating up to 32 jobs

A Gymnastics club is so popular that it is looking to open a huge second site.

The City of Preston Gynmastics Club has been established for 17 years, during which time membership has grown to over 800, who train from a dedicated centre in Campbell Street. There are 515 participants who commute from South Ribble, and of 550 children on the waiting list; over 70 per cent are from South Ribble.

City of Preston Gymnastics shine in Finland To cope with demand and meet the needs of gymnasts in South Ribble, bosses are now hoping to open an additional dedicated gymnasium in Little Hoole.

They have made an application to change the use of Unit 2 Longton Business Park, Little Hoole, from a storage facility to a gymnastics centre, together with alterations to the front elevation to create a new glazed entrance and a new roller shutter opening. The unit was previously used for various purposes, most recently as a storage facility for a pet food manufacturer and an international aid warehouse.

What would be on offer?

In a statement to South Ribble Borough Council the club said the centre will run multiple classes and activities per week. They said: "There will be PlayGym drop-in play sessions, structured gymnastics classes and also community activities. Sessions will range from adult and child and baby classes through to recreational and competitive level classes and on to adult gymnastics and Love to Move senior chair-based activities."

The proposal will create in the region of 32 jobs on site.

Parking

The club claims there is currently sufficient parking on site for the needs of the business as classes are staggred to reduce crossovers. Immediately across from the entrance, there are over 40 parking spaces designated for the gymnastics centre including parking for staff, and there are over 100 car parking spaces available within Longton Business Park. They say: "Although the gymnastics centre will be operational 6am until 10 pm, the peak times for the gymnastics centre are anticipated between 5.30pm- 8 pm, outside of normal business hours which will avoid any potential parking issues arising in future with other tenants of the business park."

Internal works

The proposal involves a number of minor internal works, including the creation of bathrooms, changing rooms, an office, and a number of storerooms. These minor internal alterations do not require planning permission in their own right.