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28
Apr
Objections prompt Ripon gym owner to scrap expansion plans
The owner of a Ripon gym has withdrawn plans to open another site following a string of objections.
Orbit Strength currently operates gyms on Dallamires Close in Ripon and Dove Way in Kirkbymoorside.
Owner Jack Duffy last month sought approval to open a third location on Brewery Close at the Barker Business Park in Melmerby, also known as Melmerby Industrial Estate.
Mr Duffy applied to convert a unit previously used for car storage into a gym which would cater for up to 250 members and include functional fitness equipment, cardio machines, resistance machines and a weights area.
The proposed Melmerby gym was part of Orbit Strength’s plans to expand the business, which the application says is “based on demonstrable market demand”.
But six public objections raised concerns over parking and congestion at site, leading Mr Duffy to last week withdraw the proposal.
The gym was expected to be busiest between 5.30pm and 7.30pm on weekdays. Plans say the applicant believes there would be little increase in traffic at the business park as other on-site businesses generally close at 5pm.
In addition, planning documents say members arriving and leaving the gym would be "staggered" as there are no classes, which results in "steady and dispersed vehicle movements".
One objector, however, named Jennifer Mills claimed the gym would lead to “constant, short-stay trips”, which are a “much more intense and unpredictable use of the road and yard space”.
Plans say there would be an approximate maximum of 15 people using the gym at any one time, which Ms Mills believes would lead to a "a steady flow of vehicles throughout the day, with people arriving and leaving every hour".
An objection lodged by Beverley Hall claimed the industrial estate was “not suitable for a leisure environment” due the HGVs and forklifts regularly travelling through a shared yard area.
Ms Hall also raised concerns over traffic flow:
The proposal suggests limited impact due to staggered arrivals, but will in fact have constant vehicle movements in and out especially during morning and lunchtimes when a lot of deliveries are made.
Stephen Coutts, who also objected to the proposed gym, said the plans would introduce a "non-industrial, public-facing leisure use into an established industrial and warehousing environment", which he felt could potentially disrupt existing businesses.
Mr Coutts also said there are no pedestrian walkways at the business park, meaning the development "fails to provide safe access for all users, particularly those on foot".
'We don't believe our presence would have been an upset'
The original planning documents claimed there were 10 parking spaces at the unit, which was disputed by objectors.
But an email from Mr Duffy to a North Yorkshire Council planning officer, which clarifies parking provisions at the unit, says the confirmed number of parking spaces at the unit is six – four dedicated and two visitors’ spaces.
His email adds:
It has been suggested by objectors that this level of parking would be insufficient to support up to 15 gym users at any one time. However, this assumption does not reflect the operational reality of a commercial gym. During standard business hours, attendance is naturally staggered, with users arriving and leaving at different times rather than all at once.
This is not speculative; it is based on several years of direct experience operating commercial gym facilities, where usage patterns are consistently distributed throughout the day.
But Mr Duffy retracted the plans just two days later. In an email, he said:
Looking at the objections on our proposal, we’d like to formally withdraw our application. We don’t believe our presence would have been an upset to the area, but rather an asset – providing an excellent facility for the many who work on the estate. However, we recognise that others do not share the same views.
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