Fitness chain wins planning permission to convert units at Manningham Retail Park into a gym

A national chain has won planning permission to convert two units into a gym at a Bradford retail park.JD Gyms is seeking to move to Units 1a and 1b at Manningham Retail Park which are occupied by bedroom furniture company Dreams and Jollyes Pet Food superstore.The application, by Stadium (Bradford), reveals that similar plans approved last year for a gym at an empty neighbouring store, which would have been run by budget gym Fit4less, have been shelved.The latest plans, which have now been approved by planning officers at Bradford Council, will see both of the units combined and a new mezzanine floor built, meaning the gym will have a total area of 2,490.5 square metres.The group said no other city centre locations it had looked at had the space it needed and that the new business would include sprint tracks, personal training rooms and a sauna.JD Gyms describes the business as a “high end budget gym” that would charge about £19.99 a month for membership.The planning application says: “Jollies has not been trading successfully and the lease for the Dreams store is due to terminate.Council planning officers said the gym could “result in the attraction of a lot of people from a wide area” and say the business would prevent the units from being left vacant if trading conditions did force the existing shops to leave.